


The Chase

by Gertrude69



Category: Valorant
Genre: A bit of spice, Action, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence, Chasing, Dark, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Fighting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Jett is actually just edgy/cool domanatrix, Jett kinda obsessed with Sage, Kingdom!Jett, Minor Background Relationships, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Dom/Sub play, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Omen is a wingman/secondary spycam for Cypher, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Jett, Sage having none of that, Sage is tired of Jett's shananigans, Sage is tsundere, Sage just kinda vibing, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Violent, Viper and Reyna are sadistic killing lovers, Viper is undercover kingdom spy, Yandere Jett, sexual tension but not explicit, sorry not sorry.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 49,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26254675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gertrude69/pseuds/Gertrude69
Summary: Sage kept running, until the assassin caught up. She managed to turn the tides to her favor, but it only sparked more interest in the assassin’s mind. Well, more obsession than interest.
Relationships: Cypher/Killjoy (VALORANT), Jett/Sage (VALORANT), Reyna/Viper (VALORANT)
Comments: 311
Kudos: 266





	1. Ambitious Impression

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU where Jett works for the Kingdom Corporation. It’s inspired by endikuu’s work “Kingdom come.” I recommend you read that one too :)
> 
> Also I’m kind of a huge fan of Yandere type fanfics so yeah, don’t come for my children please >.<

Sage ran as fast as she could. It was difficult, considering the fact that she was clutching her abdomen while it continued to leak crimson through her jacket. Behind her, she could feel the wind blowing through her ears, which meant that the assassin pursuing her was still on her tail. Sage knew she couldn’t outrun the assassin, especially with a stab wound right in her side. Knives flew right above her head, barely grazing her before hitting the wall in front of her.  


She turned around a corner and into an alley, while shooting behind her, attempting to hit the silhouette chasing her. The silhouette dodged both bullets, and Sage saw tattoos lighting up, granting them extra speed. They propelled themselves forward, and Sage saw glinting blue eyes making contact with her own. She saw a triumphant smirk, before being pushed down onto the cement ground.

Sage fell headfirst, and got up feeling woozy with a huge headache. A mild concussion perhaps? The figure stood in front of her, while mockingly taunting her.

“Give up so soon? We had a pretty good run there. I had hoped that the chase would last a bit longer. But I suppose all Valorant agents were as slow as Kingdom made them out to be.”

Sage stood up, leaning onto the side of the wall. Her vision was fuzzy, but she swore that the figure got closer and closer every time she blinked. Sage needed to get out, no matter what. She would not allow Kingdom to get their hands on her power. They would be unstoppable after that. She grit her teeth, thinking of ways to escape, before the assassin started to approach her.

The assassin’s loose strands of snow white hair flowed freely in the breeze, her tattoos were still shimmering, granting her power over the air around them. She wore a cocky smirk, a label that basically taunted anyone to challenge her. She wore a belt that had all her knives strapped onto. She had taken a few steps forward, attempting to instill fear into her prey before landing the final blow.

“Jett. Kingdom’s wind assassin. Also code named Hawk.” Sage murmured under her breath, not breaking her eye contact towards the other girl. Jett smiled, taking out a knife and holding it afloat in her hands. She scanned her prey up and down, looking for any hint of fear. There was none. She stepped closer, until she was about six feet away.

“You’ve been causing kingdom quite a bit of trouble. I’ve been hired to deal with you. I must admit, they weren’t wrong about your sustaining powers, makes it very difficult to take you down.” Jett said condescendingly, with a hint of cockiness.

“Kingdom sent its infamous pet wind assassin after a mere healer? I’m not surprised, with Kingdom being as dense as they are, they’ll take in anyone to be their new pet. Yet despite all that, I’m still not dead. Did the lone hawk’s precision get increasingly worse?” Sage asked tauntingly, hoping to have Jett’s current careful, poised mind to be clouded by protection of ego. As expected, Jett’s body posture stiffened, but she did not retaliate just yet.

“It gets boring after a while. You know, killing people left and right. It’s pitiful when they can’t even put up a fight. I just simply allow them to have a fighting chance.” She merely responded, continuing to spin the blade between her hands in boredom.

“It’s opportunities like this where you don’t realize that they can be exploited. Or perhaps you didn’t know. I guess kingdom doesn’t have standards, seeing as they hired someone as bratty and narrow-minded as you.”

“You say that, yet you’re cowering in a dirty alleyway, running your mouth to an untouchable assassin that has killed thousands. And all of it is for an organization that has barely put a dent in Kingdom’s plans.”

“Perhaps. But it’s your tunnel vision that will help with the demise of its tyrant corporation. Once Kingdom is done with you, they’ll throw you away like you’re nothing.” Sage’s words were sharp and cold, which only amused Jett even more.

“I’ve met some pretty delusional people, but you’re something else. Even your speech is original. I bet you’re the type to sacrifice yourself for a team that sees you as nothing more than a burden.”

“Wrong. My teammates and I know the true cost. And I would die for them, if it meant reaching our goal. I trust them, just as they trust me.” Sage stated, unfaltering.

Jett found this statement incredibly amusing. After all, no one would really die for each other. The world was full of selfish people with selfish gains, including herself. There was no such thing as trust, or loyalty. Sage had to be lying.

Yet when she said it, it sounded so raw and honest. It sure as hell didn’t sound like it was coated in layers of lies and deceit. That thought sparked a weird pang in her chest.

“I must admit, no one else has entertained me with this much talk over how shitty Kingdom really is. Guess you’re more than just a pretty face. Just my type.” Jett winked at Sage. The other woman narrowed her eyes.

“I’ll never associate with someone who blatantly expresses that they work for them. Especially not someone who really believes that they can gain favor from the higher ups with an unfair advantage.”

“Hey now. The world is unfair. You gotta be unfair to survive. Nothing comes for free.”

“Selfishness only breeds loneliness. You’ll die alone in this terrible world.”

“And you? You’ll die on the losing side, everyone joins us while they still can, or else they’re disposed of. You guys really think that assuming the terrorist role will take us down? The whole world pretty much sees you guys as villains.”

“A butterfly flaps its wings. A ripple is produced, and a tyrant corporation will fall. And it will start with you being denounced a failure. I wonder how your fellow coworkers will react when their best assassin fails a simple task.” Sage widened her eyes, taunting, asking for the insecurities to be shown.

“I know why you’re working for kingdom. You’re willing to be their pet if it means that you can get the attention that you deserve. But you’ll be nothing more than kingdom’s lap dog.” Sage finished with a bitter tone to seal the deal. And sure enough, her words had produced a result.

_ Lap dog. _

That statement stabbed Jett right to the core. It ignited the fury that was buried within. She grit her teeth, not wanting to show that Sage’s words had rattled her.

Sage raised her eyebrow at Jett’s sudden change in posture.  _Bingo._

“Did I strike a nerve? You can kiss up to them as much as you want, but I’m sure they’ll throw you out the moment they realize that you failed your mission of capturing me.” That was the final straw.

Jett channeled her tattoos, wanting to shut the healer up. As she charged, she found herself hitting a wall of pure ice. She slammed headfirst into the wall, pain surging through her head. Jett cried out in frustration, started to channel her powers and jumped over the wall. She’ll make the healer pay for saying those words.

How _dare_ she? She had no right to spew those words, especially after being cornered by the very person that she’s insulting. She will instill fear into her. Like she did with all her victims before they met the end of their pitiful lives.

Jett found it boring in the long run of killing her foes, and she often liked to toy with them before their demise. It was amusing to see them think that they actually had a chance of living against her. The lethal wind assassin.

Granted, she wasn’t as sadistic as Pandemic, the resident chemist in Kingdom, who often tortured her victims with poison gas. Her definition of torture was beyond cruelty. But Jett did enjoy having a bit of fun.

Yet with her encounters with Sage, it was a completely new spotlight. Every move that Sage made against her, it was calculated, and managed to hinder her movements with the wind. Her slow fields had reduced the speed that she could normally run at, and her walls kept blocking off areas in which Jett would have to take the extra time to channel and jump over them, or stab through them, both scenarios in favor of Sage managing to slip away.

Sage even managed to challenge her mind at times, often seeing through the usual mask that Jett wore. It was eerie that Sage managed to reveal her true thoughts and intentions at times.

But the most challenging factor of the game were the heals. Every time Jett had managed to catch up to her, she always managed to mend herself back to normal. Jett had seen the blue/green mist envelope her, and healing all the injuries that Jett had managed to land onto her.

It was fun. It was fun to play the game of chase with the healer. Especially with all the disappointing performances from her previous victims, both radiants and normal people alike. After all, Jett wasn’t ordered to kill Sage, she was merely ordered to capture her and bring her to Kingdom alive. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t play around with the mouse for a bit.

But it soon got infuriating when Sage’s allies had arrived. Jett had felt a weird feeling of being wronged. Cheated. When it came down to two or three versus her, with the others managing to escape. And that feeling only put pressure in her inner feelings.

She had especially felt a possessive anger when her own coworkers at Kingdom had said things about Sage as well. When they had expressed their excitement in seeing the healer locked up in chains, she felt anger coursing through her veins.

Sage was hers to catch, hers to fight, and to claim the glory for herself only. Yes it was a selfish thought, but Jett was selfish.

Jett landed on the other side, held the knife in her hand and charged through. Sage had managed to block her stab by throwing up her arms to block the incoming knife. The knife stabbed through the cloth, and Jett saw dark crimson leak through the cloth of her arm.

For some reason, that gave Jett a rush of adrenaline and satisfaction, and she pushed Sage up against the wall, pinning her with a knife directly against her throat. She had felt a sense of triumph, after finally catching her prey. The only thing was that Sage wasn’t afraid. In fact, Sage looked super relaxed. Her pulse was beating at a faster rate than normal, but that could just be the adrenaline. Jett had noticed that Sage was no longer clutching her side, as the wound in her abdomen had been healed up. Sage stared into Jett’s eyes, her brown irises matching Jett’s.

“Congratulations, you’ve finally caught me. Took you long enough, considering all the advantages that you had.” Sage added, smugly. Jett scoffed, continuing to hold the knife up her throat.

“You thought you actually put up a challenge? Hell, I was just going easy on you. You’re lucky that Kingdom wants you alive. You must be stupider than I thought.” Jett retorted with a playful yet hostile gaze. Sage tilted her head, while seemingly pondering her words.

“Stupid you say. Depends on your definition of that word. After all, no matter the circumstances, I got a good chunk of time out of that heist with you.” Sage smiled. Jett was confused, what did she mean by that?

Before she finished her thought, Sage had thrusted out her knee, hitting Jett square in the stomach. Jett felt a searing pain through her chest, and clutched it before stumbling back. Sage summoned a wall that propelled her upwards, and she jumped over the white-haired girl, before landing on the ground and running out of the alleyway that they had found themselves in. Jett quickly snapped out of her dazed pain, and dashed out of the alleyway, only for her foot to stick onto the slowing field that was placed on the ground by Sage earlier.

Jett cursed, and saw Sage waving goodbye to her before running through the streets, and disappearing behind the dark corners in the city. Jett realized that Sage had managed to exploit Jett’s insecurities and ultimately distract her from her original goal. Her goal was to capture the monk and bring her back.

And she had failed.

“Fuck. It happened again.” She muttered distastefully. Sage had done this, time and time again. Her deadline wasn’t going to come around for another week, and Jett was almost grateful.

Initially, she had been granted two weeks to successfully capture the healer. Jett had cockily expressed that she could do it in three days, but they still gave her a week and a half in the end. Now Jett could see why. Valorant was secretive, and they never disclosed any info on their exact location. The agents were much more secretive, as the list of their strengths and weaknesses weren’t very comprehensive. It didn’t help that Valorant seemed to harbor more info on radiants than Kingdom. And kingdom needed all the radiants it could get.

Jett didn’t realize how pesky the agents really were, never going down without a fight. They often twisted the battlefield to be in their favor. And Jett had initially thought that they were a good challenge for her.

Oh how wrong she was. Now they were a threat. After multiple successful bombings and destruction of resources that had delayed kingdom’s plans entirely, more forces were deployed to extract the pests from the shadows.

_ “My teammates and I know the true cost. And I would die for them, if it meant reaching our goal. I trust them, just as they trust me.” _

It seemed that they all collectively work together, all of them had trust within each other. They would really do anything to protect each other. Which was stupid.

In contrast, the Kingdom corporation was all cutthroat. People backstabbed each other when the got the chance, to rise to the top. That’s how Jett managed to secure her position as the number one most lethal assassin in Kingdom.

Jett remembered the encounter she just had with Sage. The feeling of her blade stabbing through the cloth and procuring dark red liquid that oozed through the black fabric. And yet, Sage showed no signs of pain, other than a mere grunt. Jett shivered. Sage was probably used to enduring pain. Jett wondered if she could crack Sage’s poker face, and actually reap some emotions out of it.

Jett had a lot of pending thoughts, but one of them she held firmly within: she would catch the healer. And when she did, she would claim the sweet rewards that came with it.

Jett returned home, and pulled up the bounty on Sage. Five hundred thousand creds for a living capture. Jett closed her eyes, and thought about what Sage had said that had stabbed her core.

_ You’ll be nothing more than a lap dog. _

A lot of defiant victims had mentioned this to her, yet it didn’t even matter at the time. She always thought she was superior to them, therefore none of their words ever got to her. So why?

Why did Sage’s words hurt so much? Why did her words cut through like a knife sharper then her own? It was a mystery.

Jett couldn’t help but remember Sage’s exposed soft neck, pulsing. Under the dim light that was cast by the radianite wall. Jett wanted to drag her knife across her skin, watch the cut slowly bleed out, see if she bled more than just blood. She wanted to see Sage shiver in fear, her primal instincts kick in. 

She wanted Sage at her mercy.

Jett decided, she would play with her prey a little more, and make her own discoveries on what kind of person Sage really was. After all, no one could hide from her.

No one could hide from Hawk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the start of a soap opera


	2. Perilous Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sage managed to escape the hawk, this time.  
> But not for long. 
> 
> We also delve into some other characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as much spice here, but heyyyyyyyyy theres still a lil bit.
> 
> I was asked to continue this series ;D so I’m gonna flip back and forth between the two, wish me luck 🤗

Sage rounded the corner, and took a breather. Her heart was beating rapidly from the adrenaline rush. She leaned on a wall and slid down. She calmed herself down, after confirming that the assassin had left the area, and was no longer after her.

“That was quite the game of chase that you played.”

Sage turned around, and regarded the figure in a white cloak, who had a hat with an antenna attached to it. “Cypher. It wasn’t easy, considering how fast and deadly she really is. If I wasn’t wanted alive, I’d probably be dead by now.” Cypher reached out his hand, offered her a medpack, and Sage graciously took both.

“You did a good job of distracting her, we were able to take what we wanted thanks to your distraction. But I worry for your safety.” Cypher’s blue eyes matched her brown ones, and she looked away.

“We’re all risking our lives for our cause, but I can take the hits. I’ll be the shield that guards us, while you guys are the swords that attack them.” She responded with a smile.

“I was watching your encounter in the alleyway, what if she comes back for you? She seems like the person to hold a grudge.” Cypher asked, worriedly.

Sage pondered this statement, she hadn’t considered this possibility before. She turned her head and winked: “I think I’ll be able to rely on you guys for backup, right?”

“You wouldn’t be able to go missing, that’s for sure.” Cypher chuckled. They walked to the van parked on the road. A few agents were waiting for them.

“Raze. Phoenix. Killjoy.” Sage regarded them. Raze ran up to Sage and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. Raze was deceptively strong, but it was endearing.

“Sage! Are you okay? You ran so far away! We couldn’t keep up with you! What if the scary assassin managed to catch up to you?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m fine. She just stabbed my arm, that’s all.” Sage responded. Raze looked at her bandaged arm, and dramatically sighed.

“I’m shaking my head. They actually dare to hurt our only healer? Don’t worry, I will blow their cargo up for you!”

“You say that, yet you keep destroying our gadgets. How are we supposed to lock an area down if you keep tinkering with our stuff?” Killjoy muttered. “But your stuff is so boring! It needs some more color!” Raze pouted.

“Heyyyyy let’s forget about that ordeal. We managed to get what we wanted from the building, let’s get outta here and go get some drinks, yeah?” Phoenix wrapped his arms around Killjoy and Raze, effectively dissipating the little tension in the air. Sage smiled, admiring at Phoenix’s passive ability to get along with everyone.

Cypher held up a tablet triumphantly, and he gave a usb to Killjoy. “Little engineer, I managed to hack into their system, we can extract their files and data. Could you upload these files to the tablet.” 

“Of course. Nice work Cypher.” Killjoy took the usb and the tablet, and quickly sat at the backseat of the van. They all got into the vehicle, with Raze and Phoenix arguing over who got to drive and who got shotgun. “I don’t trust either of those two to drive. They might actually kill us in a car crash.” Cypher murmured. Sage nodded, and offered to drive.

“I’ll drive. Cypher, you can take shotgun.” After a fuss, the two hotheaded agents finally agreed to sit at the back, and they drove off. Sage was lost in thought. Her thoughts wandered back to the situation in the alleyway.

She almost pitied the girl in a way, because the girl was all alone. She worked for an organization that couldn’t care less about her wellbeing. She couldn’t help but think of her words.

_“I bet you’re the type to sacrifice yourself for a team that sees you as nothing more than a burden._ ”

It was true. She definitely would, because they were all important to her, and she bonded closely with the rest of them. They all had their own struggles, all of them came together from their hatred for Kingdom. Kingdom has taken something from each of the agents, they were dedicated to take it all back.

_ “Guess you’re more than just a pretty face. Just my type.” _

Sage wasn’t sure if this was something that Jett often said to her victims to let their guard down. It was flattering, but it wasn’t enough to sway Sage in the slightest. After all, Jett was an assassin that worked for Kingdom. They would do anything to get what they want.

However, it was interesting when Jett seemed to have a shift in her fighting style when it came to missions where Sage’s coworkers were involved. Her actions seemed to become more calculated, (which was saying something considering that the girl was very reckless most of the time), with a specific intention to take them all down before getting to her, almost like she wanted to separate them from reality before engaging her. It was strange, but Sage didn’t think too deeply of it.

She thought about when she was held at knifepoint, Jett’s blue eyes that practically shone with triumph and anticipation for more. A longer fight. Sage had managed to dissipate her concentration, and flee the area, but she had felt the hawk’s glare, shredding her back, marking her.

Sage shivered, knowing that what Cypher said would be true. “She seems like the person to hold a grudge.”  Yeah, that was true. She would be back to fight her again.

And Sage would be prepared to insult her again.

* * *

They arrived at the warehouse that they were currently staying in. They would be leaving the area soon, after they finished packing up. Sage parked the van in front of the building, and they all got out of the van. They were greeted by Reyna, who managed to leave all the boxes outside of the building. “Took you guys long enough. How did it go?”

“Absolutely fantastic! I gave them a huge party that they’ll never forget!” Raze exclaimed. Shortly after, the other agents came out of the building. They all hauled the cargo onto the van. Brimstone came around, and debriefed the location that they would be staying at next.

“We are leaving this area tomorrow morning at 7. You guys know the drill, let go any attachments you have for this place now, and we’ll get this show on the road.”

“You act as if we’ve made friendships in this pathetic city.” Reyna sighed dramatically. She always had a disregard for others, but was also one of their best mercenaries.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m going to kind of miss this place.” Killjoy looked around, seeing the lights in the city. “Cities are so beautiful at nighttime.”

“Perhaps, but we can’t rest now, not with the fiasco that you guys have just incited. Our location has been revealed.” Breach walked up, facing the group that had just come back from the mission.

“What do you mean?” Sage asked. They all exchanged uneasy glances, before Killjoy pulled up the digital bounty board. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, as most of the agents had their bounties exposed, but there was footage of the heist, as well as footage of them getting into the van and driving away.

“Ah. That’s an issue. It’s a good thing we’re leaving then.” Sova commented. Sage shook her head, she wasn’t sure when their warehouse would be stormed by Kingdom’s troops. “Luckily, there weren’t any cameras past the tunnel that you guys have taken, but it won’t be long before they come through the area.” Sova explained.

“Let us take our rest here. We leave tomorrow.” Brimstone commanded. All of them nodded, and headed inside. Sage however, took a tarp and laid it on the grass. She laid down and looked up at the sky, littered with stars.

“Camping outside for the night? I had the same idea!”

“Raze. We both agreed on this, don’t take all the compliments for yourself.”

Sage got up, and saw Raze and Reyna with blankets of their own. They both set the tarps down two feet apart from each other, and Raze sprawled onto her tarp. Reyna sat elegantly onto her own blanket, and looked up. “Never thought I’d see a peaceful sky.”

Sage smiled, and looked up as well. The stars really were beautiful. “What made you guys want to come outside?” There was a moment of silence, before Raze spoke up.

“I guess I kinda miss my hometown, so I like to stargaze and remember what it was like back then.” She murmured, wistfully. That was strangely honest of Raze, seeing that she had a softer side to her.

“I’ll remember all of the wonderful paintings I’ve made throughout my life, and making each step to ensure the world having a bit more color, you know.” Raze sighed, and turned over to Reyna.

“What about you, miss empress? Why are you out here?” Reyna smirked at Raze, before laying down with a more dramatic sigh.

“I’m just still figuring out my place in the world. After the first light, I always felt that I became a monster. So I adapted, and almost lost myself to my powers.”

Sage turned to her, and held her hand. Reyna didn’t pull her hand away. “I’ve accepted the fact that I benefit from death, and I pity the fools who get in our way.” That was also strangely honest of Reyna. Sage turned her head to the sky.

“I had an encounter with the assassin. The infamous hawk of Kingdom.” The other two turned their heads towards Sage.

“I had a conversation with her. She said the usual things that anyone would say about us. Though this time, it felt different.”

“How so?” Raze inquired.

“She cornered me in the alleyway, so I had to distract her. I called her kingdom’s lap dog.” Sage chuckled. Raze giggled while Reyna let out a sigh of admiration.

“Oh my god, Sage. How did she respond to that? I know that would’ve burned me up really fast.” Reyna asked.

“She didn’t take it too well. Charged at me and everything. So I created a wall, and she slammed her head right into it. I heard her cry out in frustration, was quite amusing.”

“Haaaaaaaah! She got out-brained by a mere healer! What happened next?”

“She jumped over the wall, and stabbed my arm. I could literally see the desperation in her eyes. Made me feel kind of bad for teasing her.” Sage’s hand hovered over her bandaged arm. Reyna scoffed.

“Tease? I’ve heard some pretty sharp things come out of that tongue of yours.” 

“Then I kicked her stomach and ran out of there. But I could feel her gaze. I don’t think she’ll stop until she finally catches up to me, to us.” Sage finished with a sigh. She closed her eyes for a moment.

Both Raze and Reyna looked at each other, before facing Sage. “If she’s after you, she’ll have to get through literally all of us.” Raze winked.

“Not me. I won’t be there to body-block for you.” Reyna looked at her nails. Sage softly chuckled, before she replied with: “I’m glad to fight alongside you guys.”

They talked for a bit longer, before falling asleep under the stars.

* * *

The next day: 6:20 am.

Jett noticed the notification on the bounty board. She opened it, and saw the vid that had been posted there. She saw Sage getting into the van and driving off with the other wanted Valorant agents. Jett widened her eyes, and zoomed in on the area that they drove past. The abandoned warehouse. Only 30 minutes away from her home, 20 if she drove on a vehicle.

But Jett was faster than any vehicle there was.

A pang of excitement shot through her. She now had a lead on where the agents were, where Sage was. Jett decided that she wanted to pay them a visit. She dashed out of her room, grabbed her supplies, and left her apartment. She ran down the streets, thinking about how she could finish her mission.

She had managed to get her hands on some injection pens filled with sleep drugs, after asking Pandemic for them at the cost of some of her dignity. But it was worth it as she had the intent to take the healer down as quietly as possible. She arrived at the bridge, and she noticed the tripwires that were placed around the area.

The place was filled with bushes and greenery, evidently taken over by nature, after years of abandonment. There were even rumors of undead ghosts that haunted the area. Jett didn’t believe these rumors, and thought they may have been perpetrated by criminals to hide in the warehouse that resides in the woods.

She walked through the trees, focused on not hitting any traps set by Cypher. She had to admit, his gadgets were really annoying, but they could be destroyed easily. The only problem is, he would be notified, and her mission would be a bust.

She got to the clearing, where she saw three agents in the clearing. Phoenix, Sova and Sage. She was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she clearly saw Phoenix wrap his arms around her. Jett felt something burn in her heart, seeing Sage smile at the two men.

Jett snuck around the building, and quietly climbed up onto the roof to watch the three people. The other two needed to go inside, while Sage stayed outside, watching the perimeter. Jett saw the perfect opportunity to strike.

She jumped, and stuck the injection pen right onto Sage’s neck. Jett wrapped her hand around Sage’s mouth, and Sage stumbled. Sage thrashed around, clearly surprised that Jett managed to ambush her. “Mmmph!” Sage tried to call out, but to no avail.

Jett tackled her to the ground, and locked her legs onto Sage’s legs, effectively forcing her to fall forward. Sage didn’t back down, thrashing and flailing in an attempt to retreat to the team. Jett found this to be extremely adorable, as she looked like a dog that rubbed itself on a grassy field. Jett took out a piece of cloth and gagged the healer. She wanted to play with her a little more, but time was of the essence. It wouldn’t be long before her coworkers would notice that she was missing.

“Hello again, my little dove. Did you miss me?” Jett whispered delightedly into Sage’s ear, her warm breath making the monk shiver. It wouldn’t be long before the drug started to kick in. Jett bounded the woman’s wrists behind her back, and pulled her into the bushes. Sage tried to kick Jett with her feet, but Jett grabbed her ankles and held her down firmly. She wore her signature smirk and glowing blue eyes. But this time, they had hints of relief, triumph and.....

Obsession. 

  
“Don't bother trying to run away, my little caged dove. I always get what I want. Just give in.” Jett nuzzled into her neck, inhaling the deep scent of oolong tea leaves that Sage carried with her.

Soon enough, Sage’s movements were starting to grow sluggish, and her eyes were half-closed. She still struggled until the very end, the panic settling into her eyes, and Jett ravaged every second of it. Jett gripped Sage’s chin, and Sage finally fell limp into her arms.

Her cheek was soft, and her neck was exposed. Jett couldn’t help but grin at the circumstances. Sage was finally in her grasp, after chasing her for so long. She gently stroked her cheek, and picked her up. Jett carried her on her back, resting her head onto her shoulder, and took off, heart pumping wildly.

* * *

“Guys! Where’s Sage?” Phoenix asked, panicking. 

The other agents looked confused. “She was just outside last time I checked. Why are you so worried?” Killjoy mused. Soon, Cypher burst into the room, out of breath. “She’s being taken away at this very second.” 

A moment of silence, before a collective “WHAT?!” from all of the agents. Cypher accessed his hidden camera, and saw Sage being carried away by a figure with white hair. He stuck a tracking dart into Sage’s back, revealing their location. 

“She’s in the woods, and she’s being kidnapped by Jett, the wind assassin.” Cypher informed them.

“Wow, she really came back. I didn’t think she had it in her. Let’s go teach her a lesson!” Raze cracked her knuckles, clearly angry.

“Wait, let’s think about this carefully. This could be kingdom’s plan to separate one of us, meaning they’ll expect more of us so that they can wipe us all out. And because Jett has found us already, it means that our location has been revealed.” Brimstone explained with clenched fists. They all looked down, debating on what to do next. 

“Our best option would be to go to our new location in one of the floating islands provided to us, then come back and rescue Sage afterwards.” Killjoy offered, but Phoenix protested.

“Hold up. This is Kingdom we are talking about. What if Sage ends up getting killed? What if she is locked up in a cell and tortured for her powers? We need to get her while we still can!”

“Phoenix, calm down! Sage is a strong woman, and she knows that we will go back for her. She is aware of the risks. She won’t be killed because she is wanted alive. We need to retreat, and launch a planned attack to get her back.” Brimstone put his hand onto Phoenix’s shoulder, and he calmed down. 

“We will have a good fix on her location, I managed to put a dart onto her.” Cypher opened up his tracker, and saw a yellow dot indicating where Sage was being taken to.

“Let’s hurry up. We need to drive the van into the teleporter so that we can destroy this warehouse.” Sova reminded them. They had a teleportation system implemented into the warehouse, where they could transport cargo to the islands. But now, everything would be destroyed, so that kingdom can’t get their hands on this technology. Reyna planted the spike, and the steady beep made them work as fast as possible.

After the last of the cargo had been transported, they all walked through the teleporter, with the spike blowing up the warehouse, destroying any evidence that Valorant was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3
> 
> Criticism is appreciated.


	3. Somber Beatdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jett ran with the passed out dove, admiring her work once she got back to her apartment. She has a bit too much of fun at the expense of Sage’s physical and mental health.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, you guys can kind of decide how dark this fic will be. There’s gonna be a lot of violence and blood here. I’ve added a line to indicate trigger warning. This chapter is a bit shorter because I’m experimenting.

Jett didn’t stop until she got to her apartment, her heart thumping wildly. She did it! She finally managed to catch the mouse! After so long of interferences and battles with the healer, she finally got the bounty! Plus she still had a few days left before her deadline.

She took a quick pit stop in an alleyway, admiring her work. The bound woman had a relaxed posture, occasionally leaning forward, in which Jett would have to lift her to stop her from toppling over. As Jett put her hand on Sage’s shoulder, she noticed a dart in her back. Jett ripped it out, and noticed that it was made of sleek metal. Jett recognized it as a tracking dart, and crushed it under her boot. No one would come to rescue her, not if Jett had anything to say about it.

A thousand different thoughts ran through the assassin’s mind, as she examined Sage’s body for any other form of tracking devices. She found a comm link in her ear, so Jett took out her earpiece, and crushed it. She wrapped her hands around her cheek, lightly tugging the soft flesh.

She really was a beauty come to life. Yet this same beauty has managed to escape her grasp for so long.

Well not anymore.

She picked up the unconscious woman, and continued down the street. It was early in the morning now, and more people would likely come out now. Jett went inside the building, and took the elevator to the 13th floor. 

Once they were inside, she gently laid Sage on the couch. Sage was peacefully sleeping, her chest rising up and down with rhythm. The drug was not supposed to go away for another hour, so Jett had plenty of time to prepare her prisoner’s room.

“Prisoner? Or special guest? Nah, it’s prisoner.” She decided. She had brought specific items with her to the apartment, including special chains to keep the healer within the room, and not be able to use radianite to free herself. Kingdom has specially designed shock collars to suppress the radianite energy that flowed in people’s bodies. Jett had managed to steal one prior to this day, and now it would be put to good use. She smiled, thinking of what to do with the healer when she regained consciousness.

* * *

Sage woke up, her head was aching, her vision was slightly blurry, but it soon cleared up to reveal a room. She was laying on the couch, her hands were still tied, and she was still gagged. She turned her head, there was a TV to her right, a table to her left, and the kitchen across the room. _Where am I?_ She thought to herself. She slowly got up, and saw the windows behind her, she was in an apartment building. A building with a lot of floors to be exact.

_Shit._ She couldn’t bust herself out of there by breaking the glass, as she would fall really far down and possibly die right then and there. She tried to recall what had happened.

Oh yeah. She got mugged by the wind assassin. That means that this place is likely the wind assassin’s living quarters. Sage knew that her team wouldn’t come rescue her immediately, they needed to proceed with leaving the warehouse. She hoped that they managed to destroy any trace of it. Her earpiece was gone, meaning she had no form of communication whatsoever. Sage looked at the front door. Perhaps she could leave through there? 

_ Where was the assassin? _

”Up so soon?” She heard a voice drawl. She turned around, and saw Jett across the room, with a collar in her hands. Sage clenched her jaw, and assumed her defensive stance.

Jett walked up to Sage, with a very eerie smirk that Sage absolutely did not enjoy. It was a smirk that basically said “I’ve got you now.” Sage couldn’t fight her, the drug still had it’s toll on her strength. But what’s the other option? Turning herself to kingdom? Over her dead body.

“The drug wasn’t supposed to wear off for another 30 minutes. You recovered quite quickly. But that’s alright, I have your room prepared for you.” Jett spun the collar in her fingers, coming closer and closer. She was 5 feet away.

Sage waited until Jett was three feet in front of her. She ripped the cloth that bounded her hands, untied the gag from her face, and threw it onto Jett. She heard the assassin curse, and tried to run out of the room. However, her head was still pounding, and she staggered. Jett was amused at her efforts to try and escape, and tripped her. Jett dragged her by the collar of her shirt and threw her into the spare bedroom. Jett locked the door, and pinned Sage to the ground. She strapped the collar around her neck.

Sage felt the radianite within her disappear. The energy that once freely flowed through her body was now blocked off. _No._ She struggled, only to be straddled by Jett, effectively pinning her down.

“Who’s the dog now?” Jett taunted her. Okay yeah she was still hung up about that.

“You really decided to come after me. I didn’t think you had it in you. I’m not sure why you’re specifically targeting me.” Sage murmured, not breaking eye contact. Jett gripped her chin, with a crazed look in her eyes.

”Your powers are quite valuable, Kingdom would do anything to get their hands on it. I’m simply collecting the money for it.” Jett bolted her wrists to the wall, and Sage couldn’t do anything to stop it.

”Then why keep me here? You could’ve turned me in after you injected the sleeping drug into me.” Sage asked, a bit worried as to what the answer could be. A lot of options rolled through her mind, but Jett couldn’t possibly be thinking of doing that.

”I want to have some fun.” Jett smiled with a predatory gaze. Sage’s reaction was delicious. Her facade began to slip, replaced by fierce determination, and worry. She saw the fight or flight reaction trigger, after realizing what was happening to her.

”I beg you to reconsider, we don’t have to do this.” Sage pleaded. Jett widened her eyes and bit her lower lip. She was barely holding herself back from just taking her prey right then and there. She carved her nails deep into Sage’s neck, leaving small dents in her soft flesh.

”No one will be able to save you. You’re in my possession now.” Jett lowered her head until they were mere inches away from each other. Sage was shivering, indicating that she was afraid, but was ready to fight. Jett admired that about her, always going against odds that were against her.

”I want to know your secrets. How do you always manage to slip away? How do you always manage to get away from me?” Jett whispered lowly into the ear the woman below her. 

However, it seemed that she still had spunk within her, as Sage spat in her face, and kept her mouth shut. Jett felt anger roll through her. How _dare_ she?

“You creep. Get off me.” Sage hissed.

_Trigger warning: don’t read if you’re not comfortable with reading violence and non-consensual stuff_.

* * *

”I guess my new pet doesn’t know what obedience is. This behavior needs to be punished.” Jett snarled. She took out a remote controller and got off Sage. Sage looked at the controller wearily, and Jett clicked on the red button.

Electricity burned through Sage’s body, like hot rods stabbing her. Sage cried out in pain, and curled up into a ball. She could barely hear Jett say something through the heat ripping her apart on the inside.

“What’s the matter? Where’d that sharp tongue go?” Jett smiled wickedly, seeing the monk in pain brought her so much joy.

“You sick human being. This is a new low, even for you. Kicking someone while they’re still down. Have you no honor?” Sage growled through clenched teeth. Jett laughed.

”Honor? There’s no such thing in the criminal world. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get what I want.” Jett mocked distastefully. She pressed her boot right onto Sage’s face, pinning the trembling woman down while she continued to endure the pain.

”I always thought that every person could be redeemed. That all life was precious.” Jett heard Sage mutter. “Hm? Still playing the pacifist?” Jett growled, pressing her boot harder. Sage let out a pained cough.

”You coward.” Sage spat, which only angered Jett even more. Jett kicked the healer right in the stomach, and lifted her up to the wall. She whispered into her ear. “I’m only teaching the disobedient pet to behave. With this current game that you’re playing, you’re going to be in a world of pain afterwards. Your powers are gone, and you’re at my mercy. So unless you want to be treated like the  fucking dog that you are, I recommend you shut the fuck up.” Jett closed her palm around her neck, feeling the pulse ripple through her hand, earning another pained grunt from the woman.

“Over my dead corpse, I’ll never submit to scum like you.” Sage spat sharply. Jett chuckled meanly. She raised her hand, and whipped it towards Sage’s left cheek.

** Smack. **

Jett watched as Sage’s eyes widen in shock as she recovered from the pain, a bright red handprint was forming. However, Jett gave her no time to completely sit back up. She raised her fist and punched right in Sage’s throat, depleting her oxygen and silencing the angel. Sage had let out a choked noise, and a purple bruise formed in the area of impact.

Jett couldn’t help but feel proud of herself, as she curled her fist and delivered one blow to the temple, another to her jaw, and a last one to Sage’s upper bridge of her nose. The impact left a bloody river that leaked out of the healer’s nose.

* * *

“Say that again, I dare you.” Jett snarled into Sage’s ear. Sage barely had any consciousness left, and couldn’t speak up anymore. But she got away with one last whisper before her vocal chords gave out: “monster.” Jett’s blue eyes were filled with fury, but she didn’t retaliate to that statement. In fact, it made her stop her onslaught for just a moment.

** Monster. **

Sage was quiet, other than her occasional rumbling from the electric collar. Sage looked begrudgingly to the side, her eyes half closed from pain and exhaustion. Jett shook her head, she wouldn’t buckle under Sage’s words now, she was literally in control of the situation.

“Good girl.” Jett cooed softly. She turned the shock collar off, and Sage fell limply onto Jett’s shoulder. Jett noticed that Sage’s monotone facade had slipped back on, but Jett knew that she managed to briefly shatter her mask. And that thought brought so much excitement.

She kissed the pulse on her neck, earning a flinch from Sage. She bit down on the exact spot, running her tongue over the marks made by her teeth. Her flesh was soft, and could be pierced easily.

She heard a pained gasp from Sage. “What...are you doing?” She heard her grunt through clenched teeth. Jett smiled.

“As I said before, I like to have a little bit of fun with my pets.” She purred with primal urges evident in her voice.

“It’s so hard to restrain myself after finding a catch like you. Not a lot of my victims catch my attention. Consider yourself lucky.” She licked her lips in anticipation. Sage pushed herself weakly off of Jett. Jett held up the remote, threatening to press the button. Sage glared, with genuine hurt in her eyes. Jett’s heart almost cracked at the sight of it.

“What are you trying to prove, Jett? Why are you keeping me captive here? I thought you were better than this.” Sage demanded, willing her hurt away.

“You’ve been embarrassing me for quite a while. You keep slipping away from me, when I have a reputation as a deadly assassin. That reputation gets watered down when I go home with a failed assassination. I’m here to show you what kind of person I truly am.” Jett growled, licking the shell of Sage’s ear.

“At first, I plotted ways to kill you, as it only got more infuriating. But as I was stalking you, I realized that you hold a pretty cute face.” Jett boldly claimed. Sage flinched on the inside, she really was serious? 

She couldn’t help but find it flattering. And she hated that feeling.

“I admit, you’re a challenge. It was hard to deal with you, as your kit directly hindered mine. But the most interesting thing was your faith. Your faith to believe that all life is precious.” Jett stroked the woman’s hair, her hand cupping her cheek. Sage tilted her head to the side. 

“Why?”

Before Jett could answer, her phone rung. She picked it up, and listened. Sage heard a voice, and Jett’s annoyed expression. She responded with an “alright” and turned her phone off. Jett turned towards Sage, smirking.

“I won’t give you to Kingdom just yet. I have some unfinished business to attend.” She gave her a med kit and unlocked the bonds from her wrists.

“Don’t worry, we’ll finish what we started when I come back.” She winked with a wicked smile before leaving the room and locking the door.

Sage stood up, legs still shaky from the impact, and looked out the window in the bedroom. There was a door to the washroom, and Sage went to look at her reflection in the mirror.

Her skin was pale, and her nose was still bloody. Her neck had a purple bruise on it. Actually, her entire face had small bruises. Sage sighed, and cleaned herself up. Her heart ached at the sight of herself. She couldn’t help but feel like she was Jett’s personal punching bag, someone to vent her pent up feelings to.

Sage couldn’t find herself hating the assassin immediately, even if her actions were inexcusable. Something must’ve happened for her to become this way, and no matter how messed up her actions are, there may still be redemption left. Jett never liked to back down, she always had her own tough facade on, and most importantly, she didn’t like the idea of teamwork.

Why?

She hoped that wherever her coworkers were, she would be able to rely on them to help bust her out. She hoped that she would be able to help bust Jett out of her inner cage that she has made for herself as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might change the rating to mature because I plan on adding more ah....
> 
> Suggestive topics: more violence, drug use, and a bit of non-consent. (A bit.) 
> 
> But it’s up to you guys!!!! If you don’t want me to change the rating, I’ll stick with fluff and consent, but if you want me to change the rating, I will incorporate these things since I know that some of y’all are horny bastards. ;))))
> 
> Update: I changed the rating to mature for the sake of spice and probably lots of depression and angst.


	4. Torturous Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kingdom has revealed that they know about Jett abducting Sage, but gave her a deadline to return Sage to them. Jett doesn’t like this, and goes back home and spends more time with our lovely healer (whose not looking so good at the moment.) But don’t worry, Valorant is on their way.

Jett felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Satisfaction. But it came with a hunger for more. To squeeze more out of her captive. She shivered, wondering how much she could push Sage. She licked her lips as she thought of all the pain that she could inflict.

After all, Sage didn’t seem to find her actions to be arousing, which was new. Most of her victims practically buckled under her harsh methods and sheer dominance, but not Sage. In fact, she challenged her while she was still down, and still clawed her way back up. She just wouldn’t surrender.

And Jett found it to be admirable.

She had also called her the same name that all her other victims also called her: **monster.** Jett admitted that she killed with selfishness and no remorse, but why did she stop for a moment? Why did she allow Sage to have peace for a brief window of time?

But she wondered how long she would need to break her spirit before Sage would fully submit to her. She imagined Sage embracing her back, with acceptance. She decided that when she came back, she was going to draw more from her pet.

For now, she focused on her current task.

Jett walked through the bar, and on the far end there was a guard that was disguised as a bouncer. She walked up to him,and showed him her ID. He nodded, and opened the door to the “storage room.” She went inside, and saw the messenger sitting at the table in the dimly lit room, waiting for Jett.

“I heard that high command had a message that they wanted me to know about?” Jett asked, looking bored as she did.

The messenger nodded his head, and pulled out a file. She opened it, and saw Sage’s personal information. It showed her personal relationships, her powers, and a very brief description of her radianite powers. This included her ice walls, slow fields and healing orbs. Jett was confused, until the messenger spoke up.

“We are aware of your efforts to catch the healer, we would like to know if you have any new information about her.” Jett scanned her brain for a moment, she had only found things she was skeptical of to be true.

Including her selflessness. As well as stubbornness.

“No. I can’t say I have found more than what we already know.” Jett replied back. The messenger tilted his head, but said nothing more. He took the file back.

“Perhaps you’ll find more in your own experiment with her.”

Jett flinched. What was he talking about?Jett kept her cool, and feigned confusion.

“What do you mean?”

The messenger leaned back: “we know that you _‘borrowed’_ one of our shock collars from our inventory. We also saw you carrying the healer at around 6:55 am as of this morning. Therefore, we have removed your deadline for the bounty.” Jett was stunned, but not surprised. Kingdom had eyes everywhere, it was impossible to hide.

How Valorant manages to keep its agents so secretive is so interesting.

“However. We ask that you return her to us in about a week.” The messenger finished. Jett felt something pool in her heart. She didn’t want to give her back. She wanted to keep her and find out more herself. But who was she to defy Kingdom? Perhaps she could barter.

“Are you sure they can’t extend it to a month or something?” Jett asked sweetly.

The messenger was unfazed, and replied back with steel. “I’m just a messenger, nothing more. If you have a problem with your orders, I will relay the message for you.”

Jett grit her teeth, obviously knowing the situation. If she asked for more time, all of Kingdom’s employees would hear about it. And her reputation would be smeared. But on the other hand, she would lose Sage, and she would be locked up in the darkest corners of the labs for experimentation, and in the worst case? Dissection.

The thought of someone else inflicting pain onto her prize only boiled her blood even more.

“Tell them that I request for more time with the healer for my own research purposes.” Jett responded after finishing her thoughts, annoyed that she had to repeat this. The messenger tilted his head.

“If I may, I would like to ask why you are asking for research purposes? You are an assassin, not a biochemist.” Jett slammed her hand onto the table and looked into his eyes, he lowered his height in fear.

Jett snapped in a low voice: “Kingdom can stalk my job. They can stalk my kill list. Butmy intentions are my own. If I hear the higher ups talking to me about this, you’re dead to me.” The messenger nodded his head frantically, and she wore her smirk once more before leaving.

“If that is all, then I will get going. I’ve got places to go, people to kill.” She flashed her grin before leaving the room. She exited the bar with more doubts blurring her mind. But she wouldn’t let that interaction ruin her day. It was her day off from work today.

She walked along the sidewalk, noticing the small hidden cameras everywhere. How did Valorant hide it’s agents so well? She only just so happened to see them at the abandoned warehouse, but they were gone. The Kingdom military had stormed the area as of yesterday, but they disappeared into thin air, like it was nothing.

She reassured herself that they will be back, and that she will be able to eradicate them, slowly but surely. She walked towards her apartment, growing more excited by the second. The thought of provoking the caged dove had only excited her more. She had almost dashed to the elevator, and composed herself before unlocking the door to her apartment.

She immediately unlocked the door to the bedroom, and found an interesting sight. The healer was making cranes out of the paper that was provided on the night stand. Jett never thought Sage was the type to do origami. Her feet felt as if they were anchored to the ground, as she watched Sage fold each little bit neatly, the gentle crisp sounds of paper bending, and a little tune that Sage was humming. Jett felt soft on the inside, with the atmosphere being mellow for once.

What was this calming feeling?

Jett held her breath, not moving at all, as she watched the healer place the finished crane on the window ledge, where there were a bunch more little origami folds neatly arranged on the ledge. She suddenly heard Sage’s calm voice penetrating her thoughts.

“Do you want to learn how to do origami? It can be quite calming to the mind.” Sage didn’t look at her, but the statement was definitely aimed at her.

Before she knew it, she was shuffling up behind Sage. She ran her fingers along her neck, around her shock-collar, and onto her stomach. Jett wrapped her arms around the healer, and sighed.

“I’ve got no interest for trivial things like origami. My interest lies in folding people in half.”

“Har har Jett. Hilarious.” Sage rolled her eyes, grabbing another sheet of paper.

“Aren’t you going to greet me properly?”Jett asked in a singsong voice. Sage was silent, and continued to fold the paper she held in her hands. Jett growled, tightening her grip around Sage’s waist, she could feel Sage’s toned body. Granted, it wasn’t as chiseled as Jett’s, but it had a considerable toughness to it. It felt strangely pleasant. One arm snaked up around her throat, putting her in a choke hold. Sage didn’t turn around.

“Do I need to repeat myself?” Jett breathed hotly into Sage’s ear. Sage turned around, her eyes deadpan.

“Welcome home, mistress.” She regarded Jett in the most monotonous and sarcastic way possible. The once soft air turned tense very quickly. She grabbed Sage by her collar, and pinned her onto the wall. Sage let out an annoyed huff, and put her hands behind her back, ready to listen to what Jett had to say.

A slap came forth.

As Sage was recovering from the shock and pain, Jett drilled another punch into her abdomen. Sage coughed, having all the air punched out of her. She was staggering, leaning towards the wall for stability. If not for Jett holding her up, she might’ve collapsed already. Jett ran her fingers down Sage’s bruised neck, and pressed on them. Sage narrowed her eyes, not wanting to make a sound.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, I’ll give you that. I can’t tell if you’re brave or foolish. Perhaps both. You think folding some paper cranes is going to change my mind on setting you free?” Jett sneered, before readying another punch. But this time, Sage leaned her head to the side, dodgingher fist.

“No. I don’t. I’d have to wait a bit longer before that happens. Also, your fighting techniques are as sloppy as a newborn child’s. I expected more from kingdom’s lethal assassin.” Sage spat. The insult lead Jett into blind rage, and she lost control.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll be begging for forgiveness!” Jett threw Sage onto the bed, before crawling on top of her. It wasn’t a fight after that, it was an assault. Jett only had tunnel vision, and one thing on her mind. To make Sage repent.

Sage blocked as many of Jett’s punches as she could, but it was difficult as the assassin had resorted to blind rage and fury. Sage was saddened by this. This was all the assassin ever knew. And it would likely be all that she would ever cling onto. Sage closed her eyes, and muttered a prayer. She felt the claws rip through her skin, the hard blows that dented her flesh. Everything hurt. But she’d much rather take the pain than to submit to the wind assassin.

“What’s the matter? Can’t even fight back? Useless.” Jett snarled.

Jett continued her assault until she remembered the controller she had in her pocket. She grinned evilly as she took it out. There were different levels set from 1 to 5. She set it to 5, the most painful setting.

Sage’s constant whimpers and small cries of pain was like music to Jett’s ears. Jett gleefully watched as the defiant healer’s body twitched and convulsed. Jett could practically see the veins popping out. And she loved every second of it. Before she knew it, she made her way up to the trembling dove below her, watching the pain contort her pupils. 

_Trigger line. Skip if not comfortable with non-con._

* * *

Fuck. It was really hard to restrain herself from doing all kinds of things, but she knew that psychological torture sometimes hurt more than physical torture. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t have her fun, not when Sage was whimpering in pain right in front of her for the first time.

Jett found it adorable.

Jett leaned down and gently kissed her lips. She teasingly licked the lower lip for entrance, to which Sage denied. Jett bit Sage’s lower lip in annoyance, and Sage opened her mouth on reflex in pain. Jett’s tongue slid right in, and explored her mouth. She met Sage’s tongue, and teasingly poked at it, but no response came with it. Jett continued to explore until she felt a jarring pain stab her tongue. She pulled back out, tasting the coppery blood that leaked from the muscle in her mouth. Sage thinned her lips, not wanting Jett to continue her assault. To her dismay, Jett smiled.

“So you want to play it rough? As expected of a healer with the sharpest tongue known in the Protocol.”

“Your flattery has no effect on me. I’m begging you to stop this.” Sage shakily pleaded, her voice grounded and serious, but her body was still shaking. Jett let out a harsh laugh, her sadistic nature controlling her mind.

She bit her lower lip, before leaning down again for another kiss. This time, with more passion. Her tongue explored wildly, yet there was no response the other party, but Jett drowned herself in the taste of her blood mixed with the taste of Sage’s mouth. She pulled back out, a thin trail of saliva connecting their lips. She leaned down and trailed her tongue down the neck, and onto the shoulder. She then started roaming back up towards her bite marks from before, and bit down on the exact spot where Sage’s pulse was, earning a pained whimper from the woman below her.

A hunger had consumed her, a predatory hunger that pushed her primal urges to claim what they wanted. Jett marked her prey, over and over again, reopening old wounds to favor the new. She wanted the world to know who belonged to her. She licked her lips, pleased with the purple/bluish tint that bloomed on her neck, and it would stay for a while. Jett gently kissed her bruised neck, earning her a pained cry that Jett reveled in.

There was one more thing she had to do before Sage was all hers. But patience held a firm grip. It would be soon.

* * *

“I am exactly what you think I am. A monster. Did you think I had any form of humanity left?” Jett purred, fury rolling through her blue eyes.

Sage looked confused, and with her trembling arm, she stroked Jett’s cheek. Jett flinched at the sudden contact, but strangely enough, she didn’t move her face away.She was too distracted at the feeling of her soft hands. Her soft, warm hands.

“All I see is a girl who listens to her insecurities more than her righteous judgements, and is taking all the consequential emotions out on me. Who hurt you, Jett?” Sage asked, softly.

Sage’s soft voice melted some form of rage within Jett’s heart. Jett stopped. Her words rang in her head. Who hurt you? When was the last time she had felt compassion? When was the last time she had experienced warmth?

Memories were starting to flood her mind. Locked up memories that had been buried deep into her core. She remembered the streets, the hunger, and the anguish she had felt. She had learned to survive on her own, and to trust absolutely no one.

_** Not a single soul. ** _

Sage’s words were all lies. They had to be. She was trying to distract her. Yes, that must be it! They can’t be sincere? Can they?

_** Better safe than sorry. ** _

Jett looked down at Sage, who’s hand was cupping her face. Sage had eyes of pity and sympathy. Jett turned her cheek away. The fire was lit once more, after coming to the conclusion that Sage was trying to manipulate her with her words again. No matter how many times she made them sharp, she wouldn’t fall for it.

_** Not again like before. ** _

Sage face was coated with sweat, blood, and bruises. There was practically a fatal purple ring around her neck. Jett smiled, pleased with her work, and leaned down to nip at her ear.

“I was always this way. I thought we were enemies? Why are you asking as if we are reconciling with each other?” Jett hissed.

Sage looked away for a moment, pondering this statement. She didn’t look convinced, her expression only asked more questions. At this moment, Jett knew she had revealed a weak side to her, even if it was a brief moment. Jett growled, and tightened her grip onto Sage’s already bruised neck, earning a pained gasp from the healer. Yes, this is how it’s always been. This was all what Jett had known during her time in Kingdom. And she would make Sage know it too.

“Next time, don’t fucking talk back to me. You’ll be in a world of even more pain after that. Now aren’t you going to apologize?” She lightly licked the shell of Sage’s ear.

Sage’s eyes were half-closed. Jett waited patiently her answer. Sage finally let out with a slow and somber voice. “I’m sorry.” 

Jett gripped harder, “Who are you apologizing to?” She asked scornfully. Sage swallowed.

“I’m sorry......mistress.”

Jett’s heart pumped wildly, and she turned off the collar. “That’s what I like to hear.” Sage’s body stopped trembling, and she closed her eyes all the way. Jett kissed Sage on the forehead gently, before whispering: “Good girl. You deserve a treat. I’ll get you something to eat.”

Jett left the room, closing the door behind her. Jett heard the woman leave the apartment, locking the door behind her.

It was only a matter of time. Sage had managed to store all the electricity into her core, letting it flow so that it won’t leave her with long term health issues. She sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, feeling alone.

She missed her friends, her family. But she had faith that they would save her. But it was hard to convince herself that, especially considering all the pain that Sage had to submit herself to. Sage shuddered at thinking what would happen if she didn’t fight back. The assassin was already super intrusive to her personal space, who knows how far she’s willing to go.

Personal space is an understatement. It was more than that.

She hated the collar. She wanted to leave. She wanted to get out of there. She clenched her fists, then opened them up again. She wouldn’t crack under pressure now. She was in one of Kingdom’s most deadly hitwomen’s living quarters, perhaps she could find some interesting files and learn more about the corporation as a whole. More about why she is working for them.

And definitely more about why Jett had hesitated and kept her tough, edgy facade. The girl didn’t seem to accept kindness from others, dismissing it and putting up her own barrier.

She prayed that Jett would be out for a long time, while Sage was looking for ways to unlock the room, and ways to unlock the lock in her heart.

***

Killjoy had her eyes on Sage’s location for quite a while, until the signal was lost, indicating that Cypher’s dart had been removed. She sighed in frustration, and walked over to the other monitor where he was at.

“Did you manage to extract the data on Hawk’s personal files?” Killjoy inquired.

Cypher turned around. Killjoy couldn’t see his face other than his eyes, but they lit up at her words.

“Yes I was. Sabine was able to provide me the necessary information. We know where the assassin likely took Sage.” He replied while clicking on the classified file. They were lucky for the fact that Kingdom had detailed inscriptions on each of their members, only made it easier for Cypher to hack into their system and retrieve their information.

“You mean Viper? I wonder how she’s doing over there, spying in a company she absolutely despises.” Killjoy wondered. She still could remember all the things Viper would mutter for each of their missions, and some phrases were exceptionally terrifying.

“I’ve talked to her a few times about that. She was heavily reluctant at first, but she adapted and subdued her anger and rage to a more terrifying level.” Cypher replied, his eyes not leaving the screen. Killjoy turned around, and saw the address to Jett’s living quarters.

“Her household would be a good place to look. It can help us get some more useful information. We can’t rely on Sabine all the time.” Cypher mused.

“Do you think that she might be kept captive in her house?”

“I don’t know. We know that she isn’t kept in Kingdom’s headquarters, otherwise Sabine would have found out something. I don’t know if the assassin would have given her to someone else or locked her up somewhere safer. My guess is that Jett is keeping her in her apartment for the time being.” Cypher pondered thoughtfully.

“What makes you say that?”

“Sabine told me that one of their shock collars was stolen by Jett. It was around one day after our encounter with her. And Sabine has also told me that Jett came to her, requesting for sleep drugs. Jett wouldn’t be able to carry Sage very far, up to 30 minutes at most. And because she has no other interactions with anyone else, her apartment is the closest destination to the warehouse we were just at, therefore it’s likely that she’s keeping her there for the time being.” Cypher concluded. Killjoy was stunned, impressed at how Cypher could draw out all of that information and piece it together in such a short amount of time.

“And even if she’s not there, we could still probably force the information out of her, right?” Killjoy joked. Well it was more of a half joke, but Cypher’s eyes lit up anyway, indicating that he was smiling.

“Exactly.”

Killjoy nodded, and sighed in exhaustion. “I hope Sage is alright, wherever she is right now. I can’t imagine the pain she’s probably going through.”

Cypher put his hand onto hers, reassuring her that everything will be fine. “She is a part of my second family, and I will not have my family taken away from me again.” He declared. Killjoy smiled.

“You and me both, Cy. Now let’s go and talk to Brimstone about this. We need to launch a plan.” Killjoy offered her hand to Cypher, and he took it with grace. They walked out of the control room, closing the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fellow sentinels always protecc each other, am i rite?


	5. Loyal Comrades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The caged dove has been set free, how wil the assassin react?

Brimstone had called for an emergency meeting. All the agents were to gather at the court outside, save for Sabine, who would call separately. Cypher prepared his files, ready to give his presentation a go.

_ You were there for me when I was lost, when Nora was taken from me. Now I’m going to return the favor _ _._  


***

“And that concludes the info I have gathered. Any ideas for a plan?” Cypher asked. They all collectively thought for a moment, before Omen spoke up.

“If Sage was really locked up in an apartment, I am able to teleport in and help usher her out.”

“True, but we can’t allow Sage to walk to the elevators, because there are cameras everywhere. And you can only teleport yourself in and out of places.” Breach speculated.

“We can still send the spooky ghost boy inside to scout around. I doubt that the assassin would expect a ghoul to appear.” Killjoy said, amusedly. “Of course we would need to know where the assassin is, or else an uproar could occur.”

“Let’s assume that we find her, how could we sneak her out of the building without alerting the authorities?” Sova asked. They all went quiet, before Raze spoke up.

“Who is to assume that we are quiet all the time? I could provide a nice distraction with Phoenix here, maybe set fire to a separate building nearby, divert all the attention away.” Raze says, while fiddling with her boom bot. Phoenix bobbed his head in approval. “Yo, I’m down for a bright distraction.” Phoenix agreed.

“It won’t work. All the authorities would be drawn to the area, and we would have a harder time trying to save her.” Brimstone interjected. Raze pouted, while Phoenix nodded in disappointment. However, Viper spoke up from the screen.

“I have an idea. Based on my inquiries in Kingdom, this is what I propose. So listen up.” They all leaned in as she explained the plan.

***

Sage looked around the room. There was a nightstand, a window, a closet, a washroom, and a bed. There were chains on the far side of the wall across from the bed. The same chains that she was bolted to when she woke up. She shuddered painfully at the memory.

She looked through the drawers at the nightstand, there were a couple of magazines inside. She took one out, and the front cover was of the “notorious Valorant Protocol.” She rolled her eyes. Kingdom would do anything to paint them in a demeaning spotlight. She flipped through it, reading the articles that Kingdom portrayed them in.

_ The Valorant agents are wanted terrorists that are willing to do whatever it takes to destroy locations everywhere. Please take caution as we work our way into purging this threat. Everyone is advised to take caution if they witness any of these agents out into the open, and report them to the authorities immediately. _

Sage sighed. Kingdom was so desperate to catch them that they have labeled them as terrorists, when it was straight up false. They didn’t go around blowing areas up out of instilling fear into the citizens, they specifically did it to destroy Kingdom’s resources. In fact, they often saved citizens at times from the sheer bankruptcy that Kingdom often dragged them out to, and leading them to live better lives. The media companies often twisted situations to gain sensationalism, and it was infuriating that Valorant had to take these punches, it didn’t help that the media was mostly successful in swaying the public perception in favor of Kingdom.

She closed the magazine and tucked it away back into the drawer. She lay down, facing the ceiling. It was now around 11, the assassin had been gone for quite a while. It wouldn’t be long before she came barging through the door.

Was the assassin going to starve her? Make her beg for food?

Then, she heard a soft whirrring sound interrupt her thoughts. She got up, and listened. It was coming from outside the window. She ran up to the ledge, and saw a familiar owl drone looking back at her. She waved her arms in excitement, and the owl drone seemed to nod back at her. She opened the window, and the drone had an earpiece attached to it. She took the earpiece and let the drone fly back to its owner. She saw the agents standing at the rooftop of the other building, waving and smiling. She smiled back, and put the earpiece into her ear.

“I’m so glad to see you guys!” She said into the earpiece.

“We are glad to see that you are okay! Omen is going to tell you our plan on how we are going to tackle this situation. We are going to kill two birds with one stone.” Sova replied back with relief. Sage was confused, but was happy anyway. She would finally leave the blasted apartment.

She saw Omen’s shadows form in front of her, before revealing a hooded figure with three clawed slits that made up his face.

“Greetings radianite healer, I am here to usher you to the rooftop.” His voice rasped. Sage nodded, before pointing to her collar. Omen stretched his claws, and with one slash, the collar was destroyed. Sage felt the blocked off radianite flow through her, like pulsing waves that washed throughout her body. She felt all her wounds close, and she inhaled the fresh feeling of warmth.

“Thank you, Omen.” Sage says. Omen pointed to the door: “I will explain to you how we will escape, and how we will take the assassin with us for info on Kingdom.” Sage took in the information, before nodding. Omen debriefed their plan, and slashed the locked door handle, destroying the lock. They made their way to the rooftop, where they would set the stage. Sage had left one little note folded neatly as a paper crane before leaving the room.

“Did you eat yet?” Omen asked. Sage shook her head. Omen took out a fortune cookie, and offered it to her. “I never thought that you of all people would have a fortune cookie on you.” Sage teased, taking the cookie and unwrapping the plastic wrapping. Omen sighed: “let’s just say that a certain stubborn captain of the team told me to keep it on me.” Sage giggled, as they walked up the stairs. It was silent, until she heard Omen rasp.

“I felt your anguish. And the missing radianite pull. It was strange. What happened?”

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to reveal what had happened for the last few hours. It almost felt like weeks. “Let’s save this talk for another time.” Omen nodded in understanding, before continuing to trek up in silence. They opened the door to the rooftop, where Reyna was waiting for them.

“Aw corazón. You alright there? You’re looking a little paler than normal.” Reyna asked with a seemingly genuinely concerned tone. Sage smiled, at least Reyna sounded like she cared. It was ironic, Jett had called herself a monster, when her teammates were the ones who best suit the title to the public eye. But Sage preferred to hang around these “unnaturals” because they all fought the same entity. The contrast was so defining, it was bitterly ironic.

“So how long we got till she decides to show up?” Reyna asked, pulling out her holstered ghost. “She left at around 9. It is 11ish now, I’m not too sure, but I hope that it will be soon.” Sage pondered.

“Actually, Phoenix saw her walking back from a bar. And he decided to follow her to an alleyway, where there were more people gathered around. She stayed for a good few minutes before leaving. Oh and what do you know? She’s on her way now.” Reyna pointed down, and Sage saw the tiny figure with white hair, Jett. Sage swallowed, and turned around. Reyna patted her back.

“Say what you gotta say to her. Let’s get this show on the road.”

***

Jett walked back, grumbling. She hated meetings like those, where they would each share how much they’ve killed. She knew that it was a way for everyone to keep each other in check, to see if anyone was slacking off. She walked up to the elevator, and immediately felt like something was wrong. She walked up to her door, and noticed that the door wasn’t locked. Did she lock the door on her way out?

She walked in, and immediately went into the room where Sage was kept captive. The lock had been slashed by beast-like claws, and the dove was gone. Jett’s heart bumped wildly, and looked around the room.  Shit!  Where the fuck is she now?

If Kingdom found out she had lost their prize, she would be dead meat.

She noticed a single paper crane on the bed, and she opened it up. There were instructions. 

_ I’m at the rooftop.  _

She crumpled it, and ran out of the room and up the emergency stairs. Confusion stirred in her mind, questions were blooming. How did she escape? Did Valorant find her apartment that easily? It had only been a few hours, Jett didn’t expect them for another few days.

The mysterious Protocol continued to surpass her expectations. First, Sage had managed to recover from the sleeping drug within 30 minutes, when it would take most people an hour at least. Next, they had managed to find her home, even though it was classified information under the higher ups.

Why was she so surprised that Sage had managed to escape? Valorant could do almost anything at this point.

She burst through the door to the rooftop, and saw Sage standing on the ledge. Her sleek black hair flowed with the wind, her back turned towards the assassin. Jett felt her healing radianite aura, more prominent than before. Sage turned around, the collar evidently gone. The purple ring around her neck that Jett inflicted had faded slightly, but was still there. Jett didn’t know what to feel, given the fact that Sage was standing on the very edge, almost taunting Jett to walk forward. Sage’s confident and righteous facade had returned to her, and her eyes were dark and fierce.

Jett walked up slowly, knives floating at her side. She checked each corner for any traps of any kind, there were none. It was a standoff between her and the angel.

“Little dove. What are you doing outside of your cage?” Jett asked in a singsong voice, but also pooled in venom. Sage regarded her with a blank stare, unfazed by her words.

“It’s time for me to return home. My real home. I cannot stay with you any longer than I already have.” Sage said, raising up an orb on defense. Jett couldn’t help but let out a harsh laugh, the wind blowing harder as if to emphasize her emotions.

“You still believe that your so-called ‘home’ is the place for you? You think you can be on the run forever? I’ll just find you again, and again.” Jett sneered.

“You think that all I can do is stay back and watch my teammates fall. You are severely mistaken. I’ve been trained to kill when necessary, and I may have to put that to use now.” Sage shot back, assuming a defensive position now. Jett grinned, adrenaline now pumping through her. The wind seemed to echo.

“I am the wind. The fastest assassin known to date. You think you can take me on? Don’t make me laugh. This will be different from that time in the alleyway.” Jett raised her knives, prepared to slit her throat in one thrust. Sage sighed.

“Is your inability to call yourself the fastest assassin due to your lack of confidence in your skills?” Sage’s words were sharp, and they cut through Jett’s calm demeanor. Jett flinched, her knives faltering. “My kill count backs it up, you think I brag about that for fun?” Jett bit back.

Sage tilted her head. “But you’ve never had a legitimate duel with anyone. Perhaps you’re not as scary as the rumors perpetuate. I certainly do not think so.”

“You mean you don’t remember yourself shaking under my boot? Or when you were hung on the wall by my hand? Do you really think that I don’t remember your pitiful whimpering as I closed my fingers around your windpipe?” Jett snarled, trembling with rage now, as she threw out a knife. Sage dodged it with grace, and jumped to the side.

“Maybe because you had an unfair advantage over me. Do keep in mind that I had a shock collar. Perhaps you’re simply keeping yourself in a bubble of delusion?” Sage countered back, words sharper then the last.

Jett felt it stab through her. Was she really so dense to everything around her? The thought pained her, so she retaliated. She dashed to the right, throwing out a flurry of knives. Sage blocked them all off with a wall, then threw a slow orb, creating the slow field. Jett propelled herself up, recalling her knives. Sage pulled out her sheriff, and aimed carefully, while running around the rooftop’s perimeter. Jett pushed herself forward, raining knives downward. But Sage managed to dodge them all with precise and fluent motions. Jett growled in frustration, as she picked up her knives.

“Fine. I admit it, you’re pretty good at keeping yourself alive. What’s your angle here? Why aren’t you firing back?” Jett inquired. Sage looked at her in the eye.

“Because I’m looking to see if you’re able to redeem yourself.”

Jett’s eyes widened. Redeem? Her actions have already proved what kind of person she was. To go back on all of it would be cowardly. And yet, her inner feelings were clashing against each other. She saw Sage shaking her head.

“This is your problem! You never go back and think of the consequences. You’re reckless and impatient, and it’s the reason that you can’t fight against me. This match is over.”

“Shut up! I’m not a child!” Jett’s eyes burned with fury, and she charged. Yet at the very back of her mind, she knew that Sage was right. She knew that these flaws are the reason she couldn’t go any further. Of course she would never let her know that. Sage wouldn’t pull the trigger. She never had in the past. Sage had greatly expressed her beliefs that all life was sacred.

_ Right? _

A gunshot was heard, the loud bang of the sheriff. She felt the pain pass through her head, as a bullet tapped her forehead. She felt her life slowly leave her body. Her body fell into Sage’s arms, and let the darkness close around her. She felt a bitter pain, betrayal. But also, a strange sense of reconciliation.

_ Well, I guess this is how I’ll die then. At least I won’t have to do paperwork for Kingdom anymore. _

_ Jett closed her eyes. _

__

Sage looked at the dead Jett in her hands, and pitied her. She looked like she had carried a burden that she has not found peace with, therefore resorting to death to take it for her.

__

Reyna walked up to her. “Shame. The girl had spunk, and I do enjoy recruits that have spunk.”

__

Sage watched as the helicopter lowered itself, a ladder dropped down. Sage carried the body into the helicopter, where she placed Jett in a specially modified body bag. She was greeted by Sova and Cypher.

__

“Great job Sage. Now we can interrogate her when we get back to base.” Cypher said. Sage didn’t feel good though.

__

“I didn’t want to kill her. I just wanted her to know peace, but maybe she isn’t ready for that yet.” Sage sighed.

__

Sova patted her. “You tried your best. You reached out your hand, but it was her decision whether to take it or not. And don’t worry. We’ll teach her to respect her comrades. It will take time, but we may be able to save her from Kingdom. She would be a useful addition to us.”

__

Sage smiled. _ I hope so. _

__

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fine life reaches its conclusion, or does it? :0


	6. Inner Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jett experiences resurrection, Sage has a pretty bad nightmare, and an interrogation goes down, with Jett’s inner demons conflicting her every action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh btw, since there isn’t a lot of official lore in Valorant, I’m going on my own here. If Riot decides to add lore, this is canon divergent.

Chapter 6

_Jett_ _fell through the darkness, and kept falling and falling. She had no access to her powers, nor any idea as to where she was. All she had were her own thoughts._

_ “Where am I?” She murmured. She continued to float down the darkness, feeling the pull of gravity, until a white glowing butterfly flew up to her. She watched it circle around her, before landing on her nose, halting her descent. She hovered in the air, watching the butterfly. The butterfly glowed a brilliant hue of blue and white, before transforming into an ethereal spectre. Jett watched as it floated right in front of her, and took on her appearance._

_ It was chilling, seeing a reflection of herself. The spectre spoke in a gentle ethereal tone that echoed into the darkness. “Welcome, mortal. You will be directed towards the judgement apostle shortly.”_

_ “Where am I? Who are you?” Jett asked hastily, looking around. There was nothing in the darkness, other than her and the girl that looked suspiciously like her. The spectre was patient, and answered: “You are in the realm of the deceased. Your inner consciousness simply manifested yourself into where we are now.” Jett looked around, and sighed, accepting the answer she was given. She still remembered how she died, and Sage’s eye contact before falling into her arms, she couldn’t help but feel her nonexistent heart pounding at the last thought. But at the same time, her death was probably deserved._

_ “Do you still have any attachments to the mortal realm? Spirits often have difficulty moving on when they don’t let go of their attachments.” The spectre asked. Jett looked at the spectre’s equally blue eyes, devoid of any emotion. Then she looked down at her feet, a mix of anger, shame and sadness clouding her mind. _

_ “Yes. I do.”  _

_ The spectre nodded, before suddenly looking up. Jett followed its gaze, and saw a turquoise light shining on her, dragging her up. “Oh? What’s this? I suppose your time has not come yet. The angel has decided that you are not ready.” The spectre mused, waving as Jett found herself floating up towards the light._

_ “Wait? Angel? Who?” Jett panicked, looking around wildly. “The most recent angel that has completed our trials, her name was Thorne.” The spectre said, before transforming back to a butterfly and disappearing into the darkness. Wait, Thorne? Jett was confused, until she heard the name “Thorne.” Then she remembered, as she floated up to the light._

_ Her thoughts drifted to the only agent’s who had code name Thorne. It was Sage. Was she giving her a second chance? Just how powerful was she, if she’s able to pull her back from death?_

The spectre mentioned something about the trials. What trials was she talking about? And what rewards did she earn? The questions spiraled through her mind as she floated up to the light. There was a flash, then darkness again. But this time, she felt her consciousness inside a body. She opened her eyes, and saw herself in a dark room. There was a figure in front of her with rope in their hands. She panicked, and attempted to channel her powers through her tattoos. They lit up again, but she was too slow. The figure quickly bounded her wrists and legs, and pushed her onto the wall, where they strapped a veeeerrryy familiar collar onto her neck. She felt the the wind vanish, no longer having access to it, and for the first time in a long while, she felt powerless. 

Is this what Sage felt when she did the same to her?

The figure dragged her down a dimly lit hallway, each light lighting up the corridor. Her gaze landed on the figure, he was a bulky man with an orange beard. His hair was tied up in a bun. But the most interesting factor was his arms, they were robotic arms made of sleek metal and servos. Jett recognized the man as Breach, code named Ragnarok. He was an infamous criminal who was able to shake the earth in his favor, causing tremors and using flashes to daze his enemies using his arms, allowing him to gain an advantage.

“Breach. Where are you taking me? Mind setting me free?” Jett asked. “I don’t think so. You’ll see soon enough.” Breach replied, pulling her into a well lit room. There was a single desk, a chair, and a suitcase on the desk. Breach put her on the chair, earning him a grunt from the assassin. Jett was confused, she didn’t know where she was. But she knew one thing for certain, she was in the Valorant base.

Her bonds were tight, and she couldn’t set herself free using the wind. All she could do was wait and play along. She was going to be interrogated, that was for certain, but by who?

Her answer came shortly, as a figure in a white hat and trench coat walked into the room. He had a mask that covered most of his face, except for his eyes, which were glowing blue. She recognized this man as Cypher. He was a one man information broker and hacker, who is notorious for finding secrets. Ironically enough, he looked like he hid the most secrets as well. Jett suspected that most of the classified information that was leaked was most likely acquired by him. He was a master tactician, who could set traps and cameras everywhere in his favor. What was he doing here?

“Jett, kingdom’s self-proclaimed best wind assassin. Welcome to our humble abode. I’m sure you’re practically _dying_ to know why you are here.” Cypher inquired, chuckling at his little pun. “How hilarious. Are you going to kill me again if I don’t answer your questions?” Jett asked.

“No. We’ll set you free if we think you’re not of any use to us. But of course, you have plenty of use to us at the moment.” Cypher added smugly, pulling out a file. Jett flinched, knowing what was in the file. Her classified information. It was chilling, knowing that you’re being evaluated by your enemies. “I can reveal every single secret that you hold, even the most embarrassing ones.” Cypher mused, looking through the files. Jett was internally sweating, but tried to act confident. Cypher wasn’t that good at finding information. 

** Right? **

“What have you got on me? I don’t have anything worth noting. I’ve been in many interrogations before, this one won’t be any different.” Jett boldly claimed, testing the waters. Cypher looked up, his blue eyes glowing, before pulling out a picture out of the folder. He slid the photo right in front of Jett, and Jett looked at it.

It was a billboard, with curtains covering its contents. “We found this billboard in your bedroom. And I have to say, you’re very bold in your motives.” Cypher said as he pulled out another photo, where it showed the contents of the billboard. There were pictures and red string that connected each of the photos together. Majority of the photos had Sage’s face on them.

Jett breathed an internal sigh of relief. Cypher hadn’t shown that he had found her other secret thing, where she kept her darkest desires to herself.

Jett pretended to have felt a wave of emotions after being exposed, mainly humiliation and nervousness. She tried her best to keep up her shaky cocky facade, acting as if it didn’t bother her at all. “Oh no, you found my secret billboard. What will I do now?” She flashed a sarcastic smirk. Cypher sighed, leaning back on his chair. “You can try to act confident all you want, but what would happen if I let the wolves get to you? I bet all of my coworkers would be delighted to hear about this information.”

Jett flinched, and considered the circumstances. She didn’t want Sage to know what Jett really kept under the covers, this was very special info that she was supposed to be the one to keep. Kingdom would have her killed the moment that they find out what kind of information was leaked. And her life would be in danger after that, since all the other agents seemed to be super loyal and would do anything to avenge their coworker. And that she envied.

But at the same time, she didn’t have much to reveal about Kingdom. They didn’t really disclose much information about their plans to any of their lower employees. Including their assassins, criminals and hit men. “What do you want from me.” Jett asked serenely. Cypher tilted his head to the side, while fiddling with a gadget between his fingers.

“Not much really. Your body language only tells me what I have suspected. I already know that Kingdom simply gives you orders, and you follow them. It’s highly unlikely that you have super important info on the higher ups and who is enabling them to do what they are doing.” Cypher leaned forward, and tapped his finger on the pictures in front of him.

“I want to know your reasoning for owning something like this.”

He pulled out a usb. The same usb that Jett had kept hidden in her room. _Fuck._

“I have no clue. You want me to say more?” Jett played the innocent game. Cypher narrowed his eyes. “We found this usb in your room, locked away in a seemingly interesting place known as your closet. Know something about it’s contents?” Jett looked at the hard drive, then back at him. His cybernetic eyes were glimmering in the dark room, watching Jett’s every move.

Jett swallowed, desperately thinking of an alibi. She felt Cypher’s gaze penetrating through her, already scanning her down. “It was given to me by the higher ups, and I was merely told to put it in a safe place. I don’t know the reasoning behind it. There, you happy?” Jett muttered. Cypher looked at her while processing the information. Then he took the usb back, and put it away. He waved his hand, and Jett was promptly blindfolded.

“Wait, where are you taking me? What’s going on?!” Jett cried out, struggling to no avail. “We’re putting you back into your cell for the time being. We can’t disclose our location anywhere, so we’ll put you to sleep and interrogate you later.” Jett twisted and turned, but she was held down firmly. An injection pen was stuck into her neck, and she felt the sleepiness catch up to her quickly.

Was this some kind of sick karma thrown back in her face? The scenarios felt very similar.

“Breach, take her to holding cell #4.” She heard Cypher call to Breach. Breach promptly walked back into the room and dragged a kicking, flailing Jett down the hallway. “Let me go!” Jett snapped. The Swede paid no heed to her, as she felt the drug kicking in. The sleepiness approached her, and she fell into darkness once more.

“So, Reyna. Was she lying about the usb?” Cypher asked the seemingly empty room. Soon, a figure emerged from the air, hovering towards Cypher. “Unfortunately, yes. I could feel the spike in her heartbeat as soon as you mentioned it. It’s almost like she has a hidden obsession over something.” Reyna mused thoughtfully. Cypher sighed.

“Not something. Someone. She has an obsession over a certain someone. I would call it stalking.” Cypher said, pulling out a laptop. He plugged the usb in, and loaded the files. He showed Reyna.

“Oh dear. That is quite disturbing. Should we tell Sage about this?” Reyna asked, scrolling through each file. Cypher shook his head. “She’s already suffering from PTSD over that, I haven’t seen her get any sleep. The last thing she needs is for us to tell her the disturbing things that Jett has been holding onto.”

Reyna nodded in understanding. “Do we keep this between the two of us?” She asked. Cypher thought about this for a moment. “For now, let’s keep this to ourselves. We may not have to mention this to the others if there’s nothing useful here. I still believe Jett knows more about Kingdom then she lets on. We have plenty of time, we can play the waiting game.”

***

_Sage found herself in a white room, with nothing inside, other than two chains on the wall. She stumbled back, seeing the blood rust on the chains. Where am I? She thought to herself. She walked around the perimeter of the room. It was made of white marble. Why was she here?_

_ A sudden hand wrapped around her neck, anchoring her in place. Sage couldn’t move, and on reflex pushed backwards. The hand tightened its grip, and Sage started to gasp for air. She heard a cold whisper: “Why didn’t you stay with me?” _

_ Sage turned her head towards the voice, to the leering face of Jett, who looked menacingly at her. Her loose strands of white hair brushed over her shoulders. “Jett? I-“ Sage stuttered before being pushed up against the wall. She couldn’t move, and she had no access to her powers like before. She felt Jett press up against her, locking her limbs in place. She desperately tried to push the assassin off, but to no avail. Her body was quivering, her lungs desperately needing air. Jett turned Sage’s body around, having the angel’s back facing her. _

_ “Why didn’t you just stay in your cage, like the good little dove that you are.” Jett breathed hotly into Sage’s ear. Sage felt Jett’s chin rest on her shoulder. It didn’t help that Jett had a twinkle in her eyes, hands roaming around Sage’s body. Sage couldn’t respond, she had nothing to say. _

_ “I guess I was too nice to you. Perhaps you need a bigger punishment for being defiant towards your mistress, hm?” Jett playfully licked Sage’s earlobe, earning her a startled gasp from the healer. Sage didn’t want this, she never did. _

_ Sage wanted to leave. The place wasn’t real. It wasn’t real. It was a nightmare, it had to be. She remembered going home, she remembered it all. So why was she here in a room that she couldn’t recall getting to? She thrusted her elbow backwards, into Jett’s chest. She heard the assassin grunt out in pain, just briefly loosening her grip. Sage used the opportunity to set herself free and run towards the exit, and behind her, she could hear Jett laughing. A sinister and mocking laugh that continued to spiral through Sage’s ears. “You can run, but you can’t hide. I will find you, and when I do, I’ll make you mine!” Her voice echoed as Sage ran through the path. She realized that after a couple twists and turns, she was in a maze. _

_ Sage didn’t know what to expect, but the adrenaline in her heart continued to push her. She just wanted to leave. “Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong?” She asked herself. Was it because she had disrupted the balance of the living and the dead? Omen had often taunted her with his own brand of paranoia. “The life you give, do you ever wonder where it’s taken from?” Was all of this meant to be? _

_ She shook her head, continuing to run. She stopped at a dead end, and growled in frustration. She turned back and continued to run. It was eerily silent in the maze, and she didn’t know why. Was Jett close to catching up? She continued to run. Why was Jett like this? Why is she so keen on focusing her? She had so many questions. _

_ Was it because she didn’t deserve the title as an ascended? Did she somehow fail the trials without knowing? She remembered the grueling task that was placed in her hands, everything she had to sacrifice to make it to the top. She remembered the exhilarating feeling of reaching the temple, where she had gotten her blessing. Was she not worthy of it after all? _

_ She ran for what seemed like forever, until she was tired. She stopped and listened. Was the assassin still behind her? She only heard the occasional dripping of water, and the slight breeze that followed. _

_ Wait, slight breeze? _

_ Suddenly, she felt a stab in her shoulder, the pain circulating through, and strong arms clutching her stomach. She heard a giddy voice. “I found you.” The all too familiar voice echoed in her ear. _

_ Sage felt the ground collapse around her, and they both started falling into the darkness. Sage tried to cry out, but Jett pressed her hand over her mouth. “You’re mine. Don’t ever forget that.” Sage heard Jett snarl onto her ear, feeling her hands close tightly around her before being swallowed up by the darkness. _

Sage opened her eyes, and flung herself upwards. Her chest was pounding, cold sweat dripping. She gasped for air, before reaching for her shoulder. There was no blood, thank goodness. She looked around the room, she was in her quarters, and not in an impeccably white marbled room. She clutched her chest, slowing her heartbeat down. Sage sighed, remembering every detail of the nightmare. She remembered the hands on her, the body heat that stuck to her. _“You’re mine.”_ Sage shivered at those words. She couldn’t afford to be afraid of Jett, not when she would most likely fight her again.

So then why was she? What did Jett do to her mind?

Her body was still trembling, and she couldn’t breathe for a moment. _Calm down. Calm down. Count to ten._ She inhaled and exhaled, clearing her mind. She laid down again and listened to the rain pouring outside her window. She listened to each drop hitting the windows, imagining that she was effectively washing her worries down a hypothetical drain. And it worked.

For now.

Sage got up, and looked at herself in the mirror. She had purple bags under her eyes. “Damn it all.” She murmured. She managed to get a break from all missions, and was put on standby for any need of healing. Sage didn’t object, and was grateful for the break. Her bedroom door slid open, and she saw Phoenix running down the hall, laughing. Behind him, she saw Raze following him, who was giggling as well, with a very angry Killjoy on their tails. Killjoy’s coat was covered in small bits of colorful paint, and she stamped down the flames near her feet set by Phoenix.

“You two are going to pay for this!” She shouted with irritation in her voice.

“That’s what you get for making Brimstone put me on cleaning duty!” Raze laughed, blowing a raspberry in Killjoy’s direction.

“The colors look good on you, girl! Matches your yellow jacket!” Phoenix added with a wink. Killjoy grumbled in frustration before going back into her lab. Sage saw Phoenix and Raze giving each other high fives before leaving the hallway.

How chaotic. Sage chuckled quietly to herself. She left her room to go check up on Killjoy. She arrived at her lab, where there was paint that decorated the front door. She saw Killjoy grumbling while cleaning out the colors, and she offered her assistance.

“Hello Killjoy. Would you like some help with that?” Sage asked amusedly. Killjoy turned around, relief etching her face. “It would be nice to have a helping hand. Vielen Dank.” Sage grabbed a separate towel and started wiping down the paint, while Killjoy was cleaning her own cloth in a soap-filled bucket. “Those two really get on my nerves sometimes.” Killjoy muttered. Sage couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that Raze had gone to bother the engineer as well. However, it didn’t seem like she had moved on from terrorizing Cypher from time to time. Sage would often console Cypher for his poor cameras being slathered in colors, while giggling quietly to herself. Phoenix also enjoyed partnering up with Raze, and they became the two mischief makers of their team.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you if you are alright. You know, after being locked up and all that.” Killjoy asked hesitantly. Sage put on her best smile. “It wasn’t for a very long time, I am fine.”

“You’re lying.”

Sage was startled. The engineer’s entire demeanor has flipped like a switch. Killjoy now walked up to her, concern lacing her eyes. “I know how you’ve been these past few days. You’re barely eating and sleeping, and you flinch every time someone makes any form of physical contact with you.” Killjoy looked at Sage square in the eyes as she spoke. “Am I wrong?” She asked.

“Well, n-no. I am having a bit of trouble sleeping and....” Sage stuttered, not really sure what to say. None of the others had really pointed these points out to her, so it was surprising to hear one person that did. But at the same time, Killjoy was observant, and often noticed even the littlest details.

“What happened while you were in the apartment?” Killjoy asked, rather boldly. Sage didn’t say anything, and just kept scrubbing the door. Frankly, she didn’t know what exactly she wanted to say. She didn’t want to relive those moments again.

She could still remember the electric rods that stabbed through her that were emitted from the collar, the intrusive hands that pinned her down, the painful bruises on her neck, and the kiss. The blasted intrusive kiss.

“I try to be strong. I want to be able to hold my own in the face of danger. I want to be the person that you all can turn to should you guys seek assistance. But, I’m only human I suppose. I’ve realized that everyone’s clock eventually stops ticking, and I wonder when mine will stop too.” She blurted. Sage looked down, pausing her actions.

Killjoy noticed Sage slightly shaking, and felt pity stirring in her heart. She hadn’t seen this side of Sage before, and she had almost forgotten that Sage was human too, and not some sort of grander deity that pushes the team forward.

“That’s okay if you are not ready to share. I think that for what it’s worth, you are a very strong and dependable person to work with, and I’m glad to fight alongside you! You’re probably one of the more competent crew mates that I can count on to protect my inventions.” Killjoy said, putting a hand on Sage’s shoulder, smiling. Sage looked back at her, seeing her warm gesture, and smiled back. “Thank you Killjoy. I’m glad to fight alongside you too. I’m pleased to see that you’re fitting in well.” Sage replied back, scrubbing the last of the paint off.

“It really beats working for Kingdom. I was their so called ‘tech support.’ It’s not all fun and games there, everyone is so hostile.” Killjoy murmured as she picked up the cleaning supplies.

Killjoy was an ex-Kingdom employee, who had managed to free herself from the contract that she was in. She ran away and was eventually recruited by Valorant. Despite her rather cocky nature, she was a genius. And geniuses are hard to find nowadays.

Sage wondered how each person could push through the suffocating atmosphere there. She wondered how even the top dogs could handle the bloodthirsty pawns. She thought about how Jett survived taking one of the top spots, and what it had cost her.

**_ “Did you think I had any form of humanity left?” _ **

Sage shook her head, ushering the assassin out of her mind. She could emphasize with the assassin, but forgiveness was not a valid option. Not after the pain that she had to suffer through.

“I think that’s about it. Thank you for the help!” Killjoy hugged the healer, startling her. Sage smiled, and put her hands around the engineer. When was the last time she had felt a warm embrace?

“Speaking of which, you know that Jett has been placed in cell #4?” Killjoy’s voice interrupting her thoughts. 

Sage widened her eyes. “Didn’t Cypher finish his interrogation with her?”

“I haven’t heard anything after that. I’m pretty sure they’re deciding on what to do with her.” Killjoy said. Sage took in this information. 

Why did she even care in the first place?

“I’m sure you want to know the verdict too, yes?” Killjoy asked. Sage was skeptical. “Maybe it’s better if I don’t.” Sage said quietly.

“Nonsense! You won’t let someone like her haunt you for the rest of your life! You should face her head on! Say what you have to say to her! Make her regret messing with us!” Killjoy patted Sage’s back. Yes, maybe she should.

“Thank you for the encouragement, perhaps I will. Do you know where Cypher is now?” Sage asked. “You’ll find him in the interrogation room. He’s discussing matters with Reyna.” Killjoy picked up the bucket and cloths. “I’ll take these to the storage room, you can leave.”  
  
“Have a good one then.” Sage waves before making her way to the interrogation rooms. A bunch of questions stirred in her mind. But there was one main question that lingered. “Should I pay her a visit?” She asked herself. 

“On one hand, it’d be best to check on her to make sure she isn’t a walking corpse. But on the other hand, is now a good time to intrude on the interrogation?” 

Curiosity got the better of her, and she looked through the glass window. She saw Cypher and Reyna with an open computer. Jett wasn’t in the room anymore, meaning that they had already put her in her cell. She knocked on the door. Reyna opened it, and Cypher immediately flipped the laptop screen down. Why?

”What’s the matter, Hermosa? What brings you here?” Reyna asked with an eyebrow raised. “I just came to ask about the assassin. Is she acting like a functioning human being?” Sage asked.

”She seems to have retained her memories. But she would not comply with our questions, and since I’m not a big fan of torturing my suspects, we’re waiting on Sabine to do the job for us.” Cypher sighed, flipping through the file. “I told you Cypher, you could’ve left that up to me. I do enjoy hearing them squeal too.” Reyna said.

”I think you would accidentally kill her before she would crack.” Sage muttered half jokingly. Reyna flashed a canine smile. “Shame, I really don’t have any self-control. I ought to learn more of it from you, little angel.” 

”I applaud you for being aware of it.” Sage clapped her hands before turning to Cypher. “Did you find any more information about her? Like connections to family and whatnot?”

”She doesn’t seem to have any close relations with anyone. She grew up on the streets, alone and starving. Seems like Kingdom gave her an opportunity. They gave her a home, food and water in exchange for her services to them. Her being exposed to the First Light only strengthened the contract, and she climbed the ranks rather quickly.” 

“She has killed many rebels, politicians, civilians and enemies who have called out Kingdom in any way. Seems like anyone who opposes them would have to respond to Jett in the worst case scenario. And Jett had never failed an assassination mission before we came along. I guess that’s why she was so interested in taking us all out.” Cypher mused thoughtfully.

”And yet. Brimstone was considering on recruiting her.” Reyna said. That caught Sage’s attention.

”Wait, recruit her?” Sage asked. Reyna waved her hand dismissively. “Well he gave some thought about it, but we don’t really have anything to offer the assassin in return. Kingdom has already provided her with everything she needs, why join us?”

That opened a new insight for Sage. Recruiting the assassin who had killed many? Who had hurt the people she held dear to her? Laughable, but also stupidly beneficial. 

“Would you like to see her?” Cypher asked her. Sage turned around.

”I’ll see her at the next interrogation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha thanks for reading. I’m not sure how far I’m gonna take this fic, but I’m fairly positive that it’ll end well.


	7. Informative Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jett wakes up to be interrogated by a very lovely couple.

**_ 9:30 pm CDT _ **

Viper made her way through the glade, after using multiple tedious twists and turns through different alleyways, until she walked by the blind spot. She pushed a singular brick, allowing the inner contraptions to reveal a trapdoor, courtesy of Killjoy’s ingenious mind hardwired for engineering. She walked through the trapdoor, through the tunnels and out into the open, where a familiar raspy and low voice greeted her.

“Glad to see that you’re doing well, Sabine. Did you take the usual precautions?” Omen greeted her. Viper merely grunted.

“Yes. I brought the files that Cypher asked me to bring as well. I must admit, it’s a relief that I managed to score a small break from working in that blasted laboratory.” Viper exhaled tiredly.

“It’s not fun being in the place that you were once experimented in, is it now, Sabine?” Omen tilted his head towards the sky, watching the stars glimmer. Viper followed his gaze and sighed, remembering her past.

“No, it’s not fun. They’ll soon realize the monsters they’ve created.”

“It’s funny. You used to heal with your skill.”

“Not anymore. Sage has taken over that role for me. It’s better this way, now I can focus on burning Kingdom to the ground.”

Omen merely nodded, before twisting an old pipe in the ground, opening up a portal in the side of the rock wall they were standing in front of. They both walked through the teleporter, appearing on the other side. They were greeted by Reyna, who was at the doorway. Omen abruptly muttered a “Greetings” before disappearing into shadow, leaving Reyna and Viper alone in the room.

“Welcome back, my dear Sabine. You look tired, why don’t you rest for the night? We could always wait until tomorrow.” Reyna said as she glided over to the raven-haired woman.

Viper merely walked past her, trudging down to her own laboratory that they’d had given her initially. “I don’t do rest. I’m here to interrogate the suspect. The assassin that you guys caught, am I correct?”

Viper placed her lab coat on a clothing rack, with Reyna’s purple eyes watching her every move. “What’s the harm, my little _serpiente_? You just came back from a long day, you deserve a little break.” She walked closer and wrapped her arms around Viper’s waist, effectively locking the chemist down. From afar, it would look like a cute couple cuddling in a room, and Viper wondered about her relationship with Reyna. She found the radiant to be more tolerable then the others, strange. Viper flinched at the sudden contact, but did not force the vampire off.

“I’ve been wanting to discipline the assassin for quite some time. She is....rather irritating at times.” Viper murmured sardonically as she pulled out a few vitals of green liquid, presumably poison. Reyna chuckled behind her, tucking a loose strand of Viper’s hair behind her ear. “You’ll get your chance soon enough, _corazón_. Why don’t you spend some more time with me? We rarely get to see each other.” Reyna cooed softly into Viper’s ear. Viper slightly leaned her head back into Reyna’s shoulder.

“The interrogation doesn’t start until 10. We have some time to ourselves. I suppose I could entertain you for a bit.” Viper sighed while smiling, turning to face Reyna’s smirking grin.

“You ought to teach me how you can manipulate people so well, little _serpiente_. If our enemies don’t end up dead from your poisons, they end up fearing for their lives merely from your words. We both have similar interests after all.” Reyna purred, closing her arms around the woman’s waist. It felt endearing, an emotion that Viper had long forgotten.

It was refreshing to see someone that wasn’t so afraid of her. Everyone always kept their respectful distance from her, which was fine for Viper, so long as they didn’t get in her way. But Reyna was a special case. And after many of Reyna’s attempts and flirts to get closer to her, Viper finally stopped pushing her away. Something about the vampire’s entire demeanor made her feel strangely calm again. “I bet I could teach you many things.” Viper chuckled back.

“Careful Sabine. If we get too cuddly in front of the others, they’ll assume that you’re one to pick favorites.” Reyna smirked, resting her chin on the chemist’s shoulder.

“Let them see. I want them to know that you’re off-limits.” Viper patted Reyna’s head. Their lips locked, and the door slid shut behind them. Outside of the door, a familiar ghost was listening in. He turned to his earpiece: “I was right, you owe me fifty creds, Cypher.” The shadow then disappeared from the hallway, leaving no trace that he was ever there in the first place.

***

_ Jett was back in her apartment, laying in her bed. Her vision was fuzzy, and she could not recall as to how she had gotten there in the first place. “Is this a dream?” She mumbled to herself. She got up, and saw a trail of paper cranes leading to the doorway. The moonlight shone through her window, illuminating the cranes. Jett was confused, scared and curious at the same time. She followed the cranes out of her room, and it lead her to the front door. _

_ When she opened it, she saw a horrifying sight. There were bodies that were laid on the ground, their blood soaking the carpets of the hallway. Each of them had Jett’s signature knives in their throats, their eyes glossed over. Jett stumbled back, fear creeping into her heart as she heard terrifying whispers all around her. _

**_ “How could you?” _ **

**_ “All your fault!” _ **

**_ “Who are you?” _ **

**_ “Monster!” _ **

**_ “Help me!” _ **

_ Jett clasped her hands around her ears, a lump in her throat forming. She ran the opposite direction, the voices creeping up to her. “Shut up!” Her voice trembled back as she continued to run from the hallway. She wanted to get away from it all, found the fire escape door. There was a bloody hand imprint on the handle bars, with the words: **“You were that girl.....”** _

_ Jett shook her head, and swallowed the lump as she opened the door. However, instead of stairs, she found herself back in the alleyway. The same alleyway from a long time ago, where she was bleeding on the side of the road after getting into a fight with the gang members in their city. Jett saw her past self losing consciousness, desperately clawing back up to move forward. “Is this how I die?” Jett heard her younger self cough out, before fainting from exhaustion. _

_ Then, Jett heard footsteps from her right, and saw a familiar disguised healer walking up to the now passed out Jett. The healer immediately picked up Jett, examined her wounds, and used a hidden healing orb to patch up the infected wounds and damages to Jett’s body. The most enveloped her body like a warm embrace. Jett saw herself briefly open her eyes, before a hand covered them. _

_ “Go to sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up.” She heard Sage whisper softly. Her heart bumped as the Jett in her arms went slack, going into a rhythm-based breathing once more. Sage picked the girl up, and walked down the alley way. Jett followed her, until Sage turned the corner. _

_ Jett couldn’t prepare herself for the scene she saw next. Her emotional heartstrings tugged as she now saw herself fighting near a specially designed bunker. She remembered it as her first mission. Her first mission was that she was supposed to defend the spike as it was due to blow up one of Valorant’s base of operations. She was met by three agents: the files had named them as Sage, Phoenix and Brimstone. The spike was out in the open, where Jett could see them should they try to defuse. Jett watched as Sage had locked the area down with her walls, blocking off any exits, meaning Jett couldn’t escape through them. Phoenix had thrown out a wall of fire in front of the spike, blocking her vision. He was shooting at her with a vandal, while Brimstone threw down a stem beacon before shooting at her as well. However, she was too fast for the bullets to reach her. _

_ Some bullets had managed to graze her arm, but they were not fatal. She threw two knives at Phoenix, and two more at Brimstone. Both made contact, Phoenix’s body burnt up and disappeared, while Brimstone’s body fell flat on the ground. Sage was nowhere to be seen. _

_ “Where’d she go?” Jett muttered, circling around the room. She had heard a beeping noise, indicating that someone was on the spike. The flames covered her view, so she dashed through them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimpse of black hair, and an orb, before having an ice wall form right in front of her, jamming her into some boxes. _

_ “Shit! You faked the defuse?!” Jett cried out as her shoulder was squished between the ice wall and some boxes, pinning her down. She had no vision as she was behind the wall, so she listened in. There was no response, other then the now more frantic beeping of the spike. It threatened to blow up, and Jett counted down the seconds before her death. She was sure that it would blow up. _

_ Then the sound of beeping stopped, and a soft whirrr was heard as the spike had retracted back into it’s shell. “The spike has been defused.” Jett had heard Sage’s elegant voice speak out for the first time. It was beautiful. _

_ Jett prepared her energy, she needed to get out before she was killed. The wall cracked, and shattered into pieces. Jett threw out a cloudburst in between her and the healer, and dashed out the now open exit. She managed to make eye contact with the healer, and saw her gaze fixated onto hers. The bullets missed her by an inch, whizzing past her head. _

_ As she watched her past self leave the building, Jett remembered what had happened afterwards. She had managed to get to the plane where some of her so called “coworkers” were parked, she got a warning and threats for demotions, as well as a stain in her reputation. She had vowed to to better, but also couldn’t stop thinking about how the healer had predicted her movements, and used that knowledge to her advantage. _

_ She couldn’t stop thinking about her voice. Her elegant accent that defined her. _

_ Jett had vowed to find out more about the healer, so that she would be more prepared for their next possible encounters. At least that was what she tried to convince herself at the time. _

_ She had no idea how much the obsession would fester due to her lack of knowledge for the healer. It festered into something bigger, like a predator hunting it’s prey. A constant game of chase with Sage being one step ahead. Time after time, Valorant was there to ruin her missions. And it was irritating. _

_ And that was why she was so captivated. _

_Jett then heard a voice. A deep voice that sounded inhuman. She turned around, and saw a shadow behind her, with three blue glowing marks down on where it’s face was supposed to be. “Wake up. It’s time for your interrogation.” It rasped, stretching it’s claws out. It walked closer, while Jett walked backward. Suddenly, her back hit a wall. Jett screamed as the claws reached her face, and closed her eyes_.

***

  
Jett woke up. She was now back in what seemed to be a clean, empty room, her collar still visible on her neck. Her whole body dripped in cold sweat, realizing where she was. Her hands and legs were not restrained, and she was able to stand. However, there was a thin chain connected to her collar that linked her to the wall.

They really decided to chain me up like a dog. Jett thought distastefully. A click had interrupted her thoughts, and a woman stepped into her room. Jett recognized her immediately.

“Pandemic?”

‘Pandemic’ merely gave a sharp smile, and it sent chills down Jett’s spine. Her aura was terrifying, and not a lot of people dared to challenge her. No one could escape her ingenious mind. Not even Jett.

“Are you here to free me?” Jett asked hopefully, even though she knew the answer. Pandemic would throw anyone under the bus if it meant that she could get what she wanted.

“I’m here to teach you a lesson. You’ve been very irritating to deal with. Super nosy as well.” Her voice pooled in venom as she spoke.

“I never expected you of all people to go behind Kingdom’s back. I thought you always fully supported them.” Jett said, changing the topic.

Viper rolled her eyes. “I’d much rather jump into a volcano then ever pledge my life for them un-ironically.”

“And why is that?” Jett asked, attempting to pry for more answers.

Viper narrowed her eyes, before walking up to the snow-haired woman. “They took everything from me, so I will do the same. Starting with you.” Viper’s face revealed nothing but hostility towards the assassin.

Jett gulped, but tried her best to not show fear. “I’ve been in plenty of interrogations, what’s one more? You guys gonna kill me if I don’t give you the info you want?”

“Perhaps you’ve been in many. But you haven’t had one with me yet. In fact, I have an assistant who’s going to help me.” Viper smiled. The door clicked open behind her, and Jett saw a woman elegantly walking towards them. She wore a fancy assortment of purple and gold. One arm was exposed, revealing her tattoos. The brown-skinned woman wore a canine smile, her eyes giving off a purple/violet glimmer.

Reyna, the cold-blooded vampire of Valorant. Jett had heard rumors about the higher ups attempting to recruit her, but all the troops had disappeared and never returned. Her benefits from death only made her want more life. Reyna was incredibly dangerous, and it was common knowledge to take extra precautions with her.

“This one’s a bit stubborn. Cypher couldn’t rattle much info out of her. It was super amusing to watch.” Reyna chuckled.

“Wait, you were watching me?” Jett asked.

“I was right behind you the entire time. You wouldn’t have noticed me. I am pretty good at what I do.” Reyna sneered back, crossing her arms.

Jett gulped. She was now in the presence of two intimidating women that could shred her to pieces. Yes, she acknowledged that they were terrifying. And she didn’t really acknowledge a lot of things. She felt like a beta compared to the two alphas.

“Reyna will tell me if you’re lying or not. And if you are, I will stab you with this needle. It’s filled with snake venom that might be a little bit more painful than what you’re normally used to.” Viper lifted a small pointed needle right in front of Jett. “Simple game isn’t it?”

Jett looked at the needle, small bits of fear creeping into her heart. But it couldn’t have hurt more than all of the fights that Jett had gotten into. The constant brawls that she had gotten herself in, ending off with wounds that became scars.

“Try me.”

Viper picked up a sheet of paper, and read it’s contents. “Says here that you were an associate that oversaw the Kingdom shipments near the docks in Seoul. Is that true?”

“And what if I was?” Jett countered back.

“Normally, we wouldn’t think anything out of the ordinary. However....I want to point something out.”

Jett watched as Viper pulled out the same pictures that Cypher had originally shown her. “How interesting that you decided to apply for the position during the time that we had sent three sentinels to bomb the shipments. Almost like you knew that we would arrive.” Viper said slowly, making eye contact with the assassin. Jett merely raised her eyebrows.

“This info was given to me by the higher ups. I was in no position to refuse. Did you perhaps forget about how it was one of our most important shipments? Then again, you were always cooped up in your little lab, I wouldn’t expect you to know much.” Jett retorted.

“Careful, little one. You wouldn’t want to make Sabine mad. Her wrath is something else.” Reyna chided from behind her. Jett had almost forgotten that the resident radiant was still in the same room as her. Reyna had always been terrifyingly quiet. Viper rolled her eyes sarcastically. “You’re one to talk, I bet that if it weren’t for us, you’d be killing people left and right for no reason.”

“Heyyyy. That’s not true. I only take the lives of the bad guys, you know this.” Reyna teased while looking at her nails. Viper sighed, and continued on with her interrogation.

“Perhaps it was coincidental that you decided to see the shipment through. Was lucky that you did, since we failed bombing the supply ship thanks to your interference. But the next time that we had a mission that didn’t involve a certain sentinel, you weren’t there to interfere.”

Small hints of nervousness were starting to creep up, and Jett was starting to notice where the conversation was going. She didn’t reply back.

“Not to mention, you have declined overseeing supply drops before. Oddly enough, when our agents sent to interfere were switched last minute, your performance started to go down. Almost as if you’ve started to slack off as soon as you realized that your inner rival wasn’t there.”

“How do you know about my status? I thought each of our files and paperwork were kept confidential.” Jett sputtered out, completely flabbergasted. How much information did Viper really have on her?

“It wasn’t hard to access your files. Courtesy of my position there, I got way more information then you would’ve ever known about.” Viper said smugly, pulling up the usb.

“I don’t need to tell her what you have here if you tell me why you have this in your hands.” Viper’s emerald eyes glowed, matching Jett’s blue ones. Behind her, Reyna’s amethyst ones matched Jett’s as well.

“Like I said, it was given to me by the higher ups.”

Viper glanced over to Reyna. Reyna sighed. “That’s a lie. Her heart says it all.”

Viper pulled out the needle, watching Jett’s facade descend into uncertainty. Viper lightly jammed the needle into Jett’s exposed arm. The poison flowed through Jett’s arm and into her system, burning her veins along the way.

It hurt. It was agonizing pain that Jett couldn’t ignore. The poison rippled slowly, like acid. And Jett couldn’t force it to stop. She whimpered in pain.

“Aww~ You’re almost making me feel bad for enjoying this. Reminds me of a little puppy on the side of the road.” Reyna teased. “Kingdom’s self-proclaimed best assassin is nothing more than a little puppy begging for attention.” Viper mocked, following up to Reyna’s statement. Jett could barely hear their voices over the inner waves of agony that she was feeling.

She could still hear Reyna’s cackle. And it wasn’t something she wanted to hear.

“Sometimes I wonder how you’re more of a sadist then I could ever be.” Viper retorted, preparing another vial of poison.

“Great minds think alike, mi _corazón_. It’s why we’re so perfect for each other.” Reyna flirted with a mischievous wink. Viper rolled her eyes playfully, before turning to the assassin.

“I could make this hurt more, unless you want to tell me the truth.”

“I told you. It’s given to me by the higher ups. What else can I say?” Jett uttered out through grit teeth.

“Lying again. I’ll never understand the stubbornness of Kingdom employees.” Reyna snickered.

Viper pulled out another canister of poison. “Trust me. The poison won’t kill you. It will slowly eat away at your tissues before fading away. You’re better off telling us why you have this usb.”

Jett debated. It was a hard choice. Anything she said could be used against her. But if what Viper said was true, she may not even get out of there at all. Not with Reyna picking up her lies.

“Okay fine! I was interested in one of your agents! So I was stalking her every mission!” Jett cried out, not wanting more poison that could do severe damage in the long term.

“How long were you doing this for?” Viper asked.

“Three months. Tops.”

“Finally, why did you keep Sage in your apartment instead of claiming your bounty?” Viper asked, preparing the needle in case of a lie.

Jett gulped. Her answer laid at the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn’t utter out a single word. Viper and Reyna looked at her, their patience starting to wear thin.

“I wont hesitate to do it again.” Viper drawled, coldly. Reyna waited expectantly for Jett’s response.

Suddenly, the door behind them opened. Behind it revealed a very tired looking woman with long black hair, and a couple of orbs on her belt. Jett felt her heart drop to her toes.

“Is this a bad time for my entrance?” Sage asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones for all you Reyna x Viper shippers. They both like torturing people. Such love in the air


	8. Envious Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the interrogation, Sage takes Jett to the medbay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and revised a previous chapter, as well as chapter titles to suit the narrative here. And yeah I’m uploading weekly cuz my inspiration juice is running out and I need a refill.

Sage walked towards the room number that Breach had told her. She could still remember his question. 

_ “You sure you can face her?” _

Sage had merely responded saying that she needed to check up on her, but she also had a second reason. She needed to have a chat with the assassin. She couldn’t go on with the lack of sleep, the lack of an appetite. It wasn’t good for her health.

Everything that had happened started to slowly sink in. Sage was so used to being numb towards any situation. At times, she had firmly believed that she was the persona that she was trying to keep.

However, she still is human. A human that could still be scarred for life. Sage remembered every single scar inflicted on her body, every mission that bore on her mental capacity, including the new ones that Jett had carved onto her. Sage’s breathing became erratic, remembering all the previous actions against her. She had to fully detach herself from reality in order to cope with the painful consequences of her job. She should’ve been used to it by now, but it always came back to haunt her.

She felt cold shivers run down her spine. Was the room always this cold?

“I can’t fall apart now. Pull yourself together.” Sage murmured sternly to herself. She let out a deep and shaky sigh, before trudging down the hallway.

She reached the door, and heard voices. She heard the voices of Reyna and Sabine, as well as Jett’s much more muffled whimpers of pain, presumably from Viper’s poison.

A pang struck her heart. For a moment, she felt sorry for the assassin. “Why are you sympathizing with someone who basically sexually harassed you.” Sage quietly scolded herself. Discomfort was starting to brew in her chest. She heard Jett give into the question, answering with something along the lines of “three months.”

“Finally, why did you keep Sage in your apartment instead of claiming your bounty?” Viper had asked. Sage widened her eyes at this statement, and was waiting expectantly for the answer, knowing that she wanted the truth as well.

The room was quiet after that, a long silence that followed. Sage could feel the tension thicken, and did not want to hear Jett’s painful cries through Viper’s sadistic methods again. While it was most likely justified, Sage never liked seeing others in pain. She never liked Sabine’s torturous methods in general.

She opened the door. They all turned to look at her.

“Is this a bad time for my entrance?” She asked, feeling their gazes on her.

Viper turned around, a mischievous smirk on her lips. “Not at all, you’re right on time.”

“This just got a whole lot more interesting.” Reyna remarked, looking at Sage’s eyes matching Jett’s.

Sage saw the pressure in Jett’s wide eyes, her posture indicating that she was uncertain of what to do, like a cornered animal in front of two larger alphas. However, she still couldn’t help but feel a small shred of bitterness, possibly from the events that had happened prior to her rescue.

“I’ll be here to take her away if you guys are done with your interrogation.” Sage said slowly. Viper and Reyna exchanged glances.

“We’re wrapping it up. Just one more question before we go. Which Jett doesn’t seem to want to answer.” Viper said icily.

Jett couldn’t speak. Not in front of Sage. Sage now looked at her curiously. All three pairs of eyes were now on her, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel small in the moment.

“Is it an important question that would give us more information?”

Jett looked up, hearing the question from Sage. The other two agents looked at her in confusion.

“I’m just saying. I don’t think this question is of much importance. Perhaps we could just leave it.” Sage explained while looking over at Jett. Jett couldn’t read her expression, but judging by how she worded it, it seemed like Sage knew that Jett had nothing more to offer.

Viper raised her eyebrows. However, Reyna intervened, much to Sage’s relief.

“Sage isn’t wrong here, _mi hermosa_. Maybe we should just skip it.” Reyna said, seemingly going along with Sage’s statement.

Viper let out a sigh of disapproval, but complied. “Alright fine. We’re done here. You can take her away now. She won’t be able to fight you after all the poison I injected.”

Sage nodded, and with very subtly shaking arms unlocked the chain from the wall, pulling the assassin like she was leashing a puppy. Strangely enough, Jett gave no struggle, calmly walking along with Sage. She revealed no ulterior motive right off the bat, but that didn’t mean that Sage didn’t feel her cold, piercing gaze on her, watching her every step. ‘Looks like the tables have turned, be brave for a little bit longer.’ Sage thought with bitter amusement. She closed the door behind her, leaving the two agents behind.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Viper asked with concern.

Reyna shook her head. “I’m honestly not sure. I can feel Sage’s very faint but subtle anguish, yet she walls the rest of us off and refuses to speak about it. And judging by how we found her, I fear that the worst may have almost happened to her.”

Reyna could still remember how she had looked when they arrived at the rooftop. Sage’s neck had what looked like multiple teeth marks, as well as a huge purple ring that was near fatal. Her arms littered with scars and dried blood. Most of it looked like it had healed, meaning the wounds were even worse before they came.

But it was Sage’s dead eyes that gave all of it away. Usually they had a little twinkle in them no matter the circumstances, but this time, her eyes were almost like shattered glass. And it worried Reyna to the fullest, seeing the angel have almost no life left in her irises. She wondered what would’ve happened if they came a few minutes later.

Reyna didn’t care much for others, but life was unexpected. She found herself caring about every teammate in the protocol to some extent, especially Viper with her dark past. Even if some of them were insufferable at times. Sage was the last person that looked like she had her own inner demon. But it made sense, as she was human still.

Viper turned towards Reyna. “Could that be why Sage has a purple ring-shaped bruise on her neck?”

Reyna nodded wordlessly. Viper thinned her lips. She pulled out her phone, and dialed Cypher.

“Hello?”

“Cypher. Interrogation room #2. We need to talk about the bastion on our team.”

A moment of silence.

“Alright. But I’m bringing Killjoy with me. Is that fine?”

“We may need all the help we could get. Also, send Omen to check up on Sage. I am confident that she can handle the reckless assassin, but better safe than sorry.”

“Got it. I’m on my way.”

***

The walk back was quiet, with occasional sounds of footsteps in the hallway. It was just the two females trudging down the hallway. Jett was being very silent, and it worried Sage a little bit. Why did she suddenly stop fighting back?

“How are you feeling now?” Sage asked without turning around. She heard Jett shift uncomfortably. 

“If you’re talking about how I feel about you leashing me with this thin-ass chain, I feel great. Really fits your narrative of a ‘lap dog.’”

Ah. So she was still caught up on that.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be degraded for long.” Sage responded, taking another turn while gently pulling on the chain. She heard Jett let out a huff, but still staying two steps behind Sage. Jett was actually complying with the circumstances, which was very rare, and that only led to more questions.

“I’m curious as to why you’re not pulling me in a headlock. Usually if someone’s back is turned, you would take that chance to flip them off.” Sage turned her head 90 degrees to have a brief glance at Jett.

Jett waved her hand dismissively. “Cypher is probably watching my every move. Doesn’t even matter if I try to run, this stupid collar that you guys strapped on me hinders my ability to control wind.” 

“I guess you’re not that reckless after all.” Sage chuckled softly, but with a hint of sarcasm.

Jett could practically hear the small smile in Sage’s voice, and felt a small part of her cheek heating up. Did Sage just compliment her? Or was she mocking her?

“Where are you taking me?” Jett asked out of the blue. She was scanning the area around them. There was loads of debris on the ground, and some of the ceiling tiles had been ripped off. The hallway they walked through had multiple doors and entrances, as well as multiple exits. It was all very crudely elaborate.

“I’m going to give you a checkup to make sure you didn’t bring some kind of unknown disease to us.” Sage said as she turned the corner to a room with a sign on the front. The sign said “Medbay.”

“You sure you can handle me?” Jett winked cockily. She didn’t know how to feel about this light atmosphere, but a small part of her didn’t want to believe that it would soon sour.

Sage merely rolled her eyes before leading Jett to a bed. “We’re merely running through the standard procedure. Sit down and don’t move. If I see even a hint of struggle, I’m turning you back in to Viper and Reyna.”

Sage turned her back for a moment.

“Make me. You should be way more afraid of what I could do to you.

Jett’s demeanor had flipped like a switch, her low hostile voice returning back to her. Sage internally swallowed her sudden spike of fear away, remembering the assault that had taken place back in the apartment. Right, she had almost forgotten who she had lead to the medbay: a dangerous assassin. Whatever game that Jett was playing at, it would need two to tango.

Sage turned around and faced Jett, who now casually put her hand on Sage’s shoulder and squeezed. Sage could sense the control tipping, but would not give hers up without a fight. “Are you seriously trying to assert dominance in my lab? You should know better than to act like this in enemy territory. I suggest you sit down and comply before I’m forced to use other methods.” Sage raised her other arm to pry Jett’s hand off of her shoulder.

“Darling, you’ve made the mistake of leaving my hands and feet unbound. You really think this flimsy chain is going to get me to behave like you want me to?” Jett started to move in closer.

_** Zap. ** _

Jett felt a powerful shock briefly run through her insides, paralyzing her. Before she knew it, Sage had put her hand on her face and pushed Jett onto a bed with raw force, lifted the legs onto the bed, where she then locked Jett’s arms and legs down with clamps. All in the span of 5 seconds. 

Jett was stunned. She didn’t have time to process what had happened before a thermometer was placed directly on her forehead. “Stupid girl, you forget your place here. You’re in Valorant headquarters, not your home. Don’t bother trying to run, we have eyes everywhere.” 

“Damn Sage, you’re getting assertive now. I’m not gonna lie, I kinda like it.” Jett winked as the thermometer hovered over her forehead.

Sage pinched the bridge of her nose as the thermometer beeped. She looked at the green light before putting it away. She took out a stethoscope, and pressed the valve onto Jett’s chest, checking her heartbeat. It was slightly faster than one’s average heartbeat. Jett’s cheeks were also slightly flushed. But other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Sage scribbled all the information down on a form, before filing it away. She pulled out her phone. “Medical checkup is done. I’ll be bringing you back to your cell soon.”

“Aw. We had something going here. Why don’t you delay my inevitable return to prison and let me have my fun while I still can?” Jett asked amusedly, flexing her clamped wrists in an attempt to get the blood circulating through them.

Sage tightened her jaw, but did not retaliate. Instead, she texted Breach to come take her away. 

“Cat got your tongue? How come you’re not insulting me anymore?” Jett responded wittily to the silent treatment that Sage was giving.

Sage rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to bother wasting my breath on you.”

“Really? You looked like you had plenty to say to me.” Jett laughed. 

Sage glared at the assassin mocking her, but didn’t say anything. She patiently waited for Breach’s response to come take the assassin away. 

“Fine. Ignore me all you want. But I’ll say this, you’re probably the most interesting person I have met so far. That’s why I gave you the ‘special treatment.’ You should really consider yourself lucky. I’ve dominated many people in my sheets, but none of them were like you.” Jett chimed from the bed.

“Why did you do it?” Sage suddenly asked with no context.

“Hm? What was that?” Jett turned her head towards the healer.

“Why did you keep me in your apartment instead of turning me in?”  
  


Their eyes locked. Sage stared at her, her gaze searching Jett’s for answers. Jett stared back at Sage, her thoughts running through her mind. Now that she thought about it, she never really had a proper reason.

Sure, it was to teach the healer a lesson. But she couldn’t help but feel as if it was also something way more. Something that she didn’t want to admit. It was more than fondness and rivalry, it was...

Jealousy? Possessive feelings clouding her judgement? 

She really didn’t want to admit it to herself, or to anyone else that she really despised and admired Sage at the same time. All the times that they butt heads with each other, and her ability to make Jett really angry at times.

“I told you didn’t I? I was going to teach you a lesson for embarrassing me all this time, I thought that was obvious.” Jett stated defensively.

“And that’s also the reason you decided to perform lip to lip contact with me?” Sage asked, her eyes now dead set onto Jett’s blue ones.

“You make it sound like it was something bad. You should just say the word ‘kiss.’ I won’t judge you.” Jett laughed with a hint of nervousness.

“Stop deflecting the question. Why did you do it?” Sage’s tone hardened, becoming borderline hostile. The lights seemed to dim at her words, enveloping her face in shadow. Her entire form became slightly more menacing.

Jett clenched her jaw at once. She saw Sage come closer, until she was at the edge of the bed. She saw Sage lean down to look at her. She pointed to her neck. “Had you pushed the bruise any further, I might’ve not been able to make it. I do not understand, Jett. Do you really enjoy seeing me in pain that much?”

Jett gulped, realizing how close Sage was above her. Her faintly bruised neck had a soft pulse that followed, the bruise that Jett had inflicted on her. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t slightly proud of herself.

She couldn’t help the lewd thoughts that ran through her mind. How it would be nice to sink her teeth into the soft flesh. To hear Sage make pained whimpers again.

But then she looked at Sage’s expression. Her face was stoned, her eyes dark. Her jaw looked slightly clenched, as if she was holding back her dormant anger. It was a scary look, a stark contrast to her expression when she was held captive, when she looked defiant and calm, but hints of worry and pain.

She wondered if Sage had ever had a bloodlust-fueled rampage before. Jett had heard stories of the Valorant agents going on Kingdom-killing murder sprees, mainly of Viper, Reyna. But Sage seemed to be quite level-headed compared to the others. She certainly displayed an air of stability and authority.

“Weren’t you just ignoring me because you said you ‘didn’t want to waste your breath’ on me? What’s with this sudden change of pace?” Jett asked cautiously. She didn’t back down, but felt her resolve being tested.

Sage didn’t say anything. The seconds turned to minutes, an awkward silence followed with just Sage staring back at Jett. Then she sighed, and turned her back to the assassin.

“Maybe someday you’ll answer. I didn’t expect much.” Sage muttered. Jett heard footsteps rumbling though the hallways, before a familiar fiery Brit came in with a Brazilian who very much looked conked out.

“Yo doc, could you help me with Raze? I think she had too much fun.” Phoenix panted, obviously showing signs of rushing to the medbay.

“Of course. Place her on the bed here.” Sage gestured to the empty bed. He laid the unconscious Brazilian on the bed, and Sage took out a healing orb and pulled the mist back and forth throughout Raze’s head. Jett watched as the healer’s fingers delicately pulled the mist like she was draping a veil over the unconscious warhead, emitting a slight green and blue glow.

Sage looked super relaxed, and Jett now saw the the purple eye bags that was shown by the slight glow of the mist. Not long after, she heard Raze shifting in the bed. The Brazilian got up, rubbing her head and looking around with bleary eyes.

“Welcome back to reality. You created quite the show over at the warehouse.” Phoenix snickered. Raze punched his arm.

“It’s expected of me to throw the best party possible! Did I miss anything while I was out?”

“Nah, you really just missed all the angry employees chasing me for a good 20 minutes. I had to carry you the entire time.” Phoenix laughed. Raze pouted.

“Bruh if you didn’t just slightly move out of the way, I wouldn’t have to shift to the side to where that tile was falling.”

“I couldn’t move out of the way because my field of view would be blocked.”

“Suurrreeeee. Say what you want, but I still say that it was successful!” Raze pumped her fists in the air.

Jett was listening to their lighthearted banter, and had felt a small sense of amusement and jealousy for the sibling-like relationship the two duelists had. She turned her head and saw Sage’s small smile of amusement. A smile that wasn’t directed at her, and it ignited a weird pain her chest.

“Thanks for healing me by the way!” Raze said, enveloping Sage in a hug, striking a nerve for Jett. Sage let out an exhale of amusement and pinched Raze’s cheek. “You’re too reckless at times. I can’t always be there to save you.”

“Ow ow! Sorry _mainha_. I know I should be more careful...but I like seeing my parties end off with a bang, y’know?” Raze giggled as she pulled away.

“Your parties will one day be the reason that we all get caught.” Phoenix muttered from behind. Raze stuck out her tongue at him.

Jett was watching all of this pan out, and she couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at how close the agents were with each other. They all suddenly swiveled their heads to see Jett still clamped down on the bed. She flinched at their gazes.

“Ahhhhhh you had the notorious wind assassin here?” Phoenix asked, turning his head to Sage. Sage sighed and nodded, her poker face returning to her. Normally, Phoenix would pull a stupid joke, but this time, he knew how Sage felt about the assassin, and it wasn’t something to joke about.

“Ay Phoenix, weren’t we going to teach this girl a lesson for kidnapping our best healer.” Raze eyed the clamped-down Jett with mischievous intent.

“What are you guys planning to do?” Sage asked, her interest just so slightly piqued.

“Don’t worry about it, _minha mana_.” Raze winked. Phoenix had a knowing grin on his face as well. 

Raze got off the bed, and walked to the door, followed by Phoenix. “By the way, how long do you need to keep her there for?”

“Checkup is done, just waiting on Breach to come take her away.”

“Oh about that. He went out drinking with Mister Brimothy. He probably won’t be back until like 2 in the morning.” Phoenix said.

Sage sighed, and got up from her seat that she had sat on. Of course Breach was away. “Fine, I guess I’ll have to keep her in the medbay here.”

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret.” Raze gave a mischievous wink that Sage did not understand. What was she talking about?

The two hotheads waved before leaving the room. Sage checked the clock, it was 11:45 pm. She walked up to Jett, who was evidently listening to their conversation.

“A hospitable family you have, how lucky for you.” Jett said bitterly.

“You’ll be staying here. How lucky for you.” Sage responded calmly as she dimmed the lights a bit before walking to her desk. “Aren’t you going to sleep? Or are you too afraid of me slitting your throat while I’m here?” Jett taunted.

“I have work to do, unlike a certain girl who enjoys toying with people for fun.” Sage retorted, pulling up paperwork that was stacked on her desk. She turned on her lamp, and clicked the pen before starting her work.

Jett was quiet as she saw Sage’s relaxed posture. She watched her every move, seeing her fingers guide the pen and writing on the crisp paper. The faint sound of scribbling gave Jett a calming feeling, the soft atmosphere that returned to her, like the one in her apartment when Sage was folding cranes.

It was enough to lull her into sleep. And strangely enough, she didn’t feel on edge as she sank into the warm mattress. Darkness welcomed her, like a gentle embrace.

***

Omen was silently watching Sage as she scribbled on the paperwork. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t just use another injection pen on Jett. It would make it easier to transport the assassin to her cell.

Instead she let the assassin sleep in the medbay.

He watched as Sage finished the last of her paperwork, before seeing her glance at the assassin.

Omen walked into the medbay silently, as he saw Sage put a blanket over the sleeping assassin. “I can watch over her. I don’t need sleep.” Omen offered.

“I appreciate it. Just don’t give her any nightmares.” Sage replied instantly without turning around, surprising the ghost. She knew he was there the entire time?

More importantly, she’s letting him in just like that?

He decided to not question it.

“You have my word. I’ll be gone by 7.” Omen sat down on the chair. Sage left the medbay, locking the door on the way out, leaving only the apparition and the wind girl in the medbay.

“Why does Sage trust me so much? I don’t understand, after all the threats I used against her.” Omen muttered as he turned to the asleep white haired girl.

He dipped his claws into her forehead, and disappeared into her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend looking up “Dissonance OST” on YouTube. I think it perfectly represents Jett’s inner struggles and Sage’s inner demons. 
> 
> Other than that, I thank you guys for reading. <3


	9. Dormant Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memory rooms that were in Jett’s mind are now revealed to Omen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was late with this one. Not feeling well. Also school is dumb, really dumb.

Chapter 9

Omen wasn’t sure what he would see in the assassin’s mind. He got a small glimpse before, but that dream was cut short by the interrogation. He didn’t know what the assassin did to Sage, but she messed her up quite a bit.

And Omen was tasked to find out what it was that tipped the healer over the edge.

*** 

_ He moved through the darkness, where he then saw a bunch of bodies littered on the ground, Jett’s signature knives in their throats. He walked past the emergency fire exit, where the bloodied message was written. **I guess murdering politicians and innocents isn't her most favorite hobby in the world.** He thought. Omen glided through the alleyway, where he saw Jett and Sage's first encounter with each other for the first time. Sage was carrying the girl in her arms while turning the corner, where another scene played out. This time, Omen saw the girl watching herself fight three of the Valorant protocol agents. The battle ended with a successful spike defuse clutched by Sage, and Omen could practically feel the bullet shatter some of Jett's pride, seeing the girl still wedged pathetically in between the wall and some boxes. The wall cracked, and the assassin slipped by Sage's sheriff rounds. The dream had to end there as she was supposed to wake up, so Omen decided to make his presence known. He forced a brick wall to block Jett off, and saw her terrified hollow eyes. **How quaint. Wonder how many secrets this one holds, can't be more valuable than Sabine's.** He briefly thought to himself before slashing at her.   
_

_ *** _

Now, he could explore a bit more to see what her true intentions were. To see if she was really that loyal to Kingdom. But most importantly, to see if she was convertible. 

Omen couldn't read minds, but he could inflict paranoia if he knew what kind of weaknesses his enemies held. There were certain locked areas in a person's mind that he _~~didn't want to~~_ couldn't explore, he could only access the intentions and thoughts that were played by dreams and nightmares alike. Whatever scenarios that could be manifested from a person's own inner thoughts, Omen could see it and deduce his own inferences.

Cypher had asked him to see what is keeping Jett from joining the Protocol, whether it be close friends or family figures, or something more. Omen had said that he would find the reason.

He followed her consciousness down a hallway, until she stopped. He stopped as well, seeing that she was now standing in place. “Who are you?” She asked, turning around to face him. “Why are you following me?”

”Observant. Not many fools can sense my presence. Especially not in their nightmares.” Omen materialized into his shadowy form. Jett’s eyes widened, as she raised a shaking arm and pointed at him.

”It’s you. Are you part of the Valorant Protocol?”

Omen tilted his head. “You’ve seen me before?”

Jett paused for a moment, before rubbing her neck sheepishly. “I’ve seen you around. You were following me and Sage. I assume that she didn’t notice your presence?”

”The radianite healer is also quite observant. She knew that I was trailing her for a while. I assume that’s why she was relaxed as she was dragging a criminal like _you_ along.”

”What do you mean by _relaxed?_ ” Jett asked curiously, her eyes showing off the slightest flash. Omen caught this, and decided to prod the subject.

”Sage isn’t always the one to drag our suspects into their cells, so she is more guarded when given the opportunity. Of course, if any human had backup, they wouldn’t be so cautious.” Omen stated slowly, watching Jett’s face for any sign of change. This was her mind, she could control it however she wanted, so he had to be careful.

However, Jett simply nodded, as then gave a dramatic sigh. “What can I say? I have quite the reputation.” She said dismissively.

“Why do you work for them, Hawk?” Omen rumbled. Jett looked at him and laid flat on the floor, unbothered.

”You too? Wow, Valorant must really want information from me. You guys couldn’t have just kidnapped some random Kingdom lackey and bleed out the information from them instead?” She exhaled while spreading her limbs out on the ground in the shape of a starfish.

”What’s stopping you from seeing the tyrant corporation that they are?” Omen reiterated with no hesitation. 

Jett narrowed her eyes at him, her blue irises meeting his slits. “Why do you want to know?”

”Because we were thinking of recruiting more members to join our cause. You’re eligible, but your loyalty lies in Kingdom’s roots.”

Jett widened her eyes, and Omen could practically hear the gears turning in the mind that he was in, her brain cells processing the information. She didn’t immediately shoot the idea down, meaning that Jett did not have a strong loyal bond to Kingdom; she was convertible.

All he needed to do was find the tether, sever it, and build a new one. One that would keep her in the Protocol.

Granted, he did not have the best morals. He spent the rest of his life in the shadows after what Kingdom did to him, killing anyone who stood in their way. But interestingly enough, he felt like he still had his humanity left, and he wasn’t sure what kept him from descending into the complete abyss.   
  
“Personally, I would’ve much preferred it if you were dead from Sage’s sheriff. I don’t understand why we’re keeping you alive.” He muttered to himself. Jett caught onto this, and he noticed her flinch.

”Why did she revive me?” Jett suddenly snapped, her laidback confidence dissolved. Omen tilted his head.

”Not important. What **I** want to know is why you were incompetent enough to keep her in your apartment instead of handing her in.” He growled, shadows forming. 

“Why do you care so much? I thought there were other issues to worry about?” Jett retorted, deflecting the question yet again.

”If you refuse to tell me, I’m going to have to make you show me.” Omen gathered his shadows, dulling the mind and the hallway they were in. Jett stood up, assumed a defensive stance.

”W-what are you doing?”   
  


” **You will see.** ”

***

**Memory Room #1**

Suddenly, Jett found herself on the rooftop of a building in the city. She wasn't sure where she was, but knew that it was nighttime. The sky was dark, but the lights in the city were glimmering. She felt her belt of knives strapped onto her waist, and was wearing her kingdom attire. "What was that all about?" she mumbled, looking over the edge. The assassin scanned the area, recognizing it as Seoul; her old home.

"Why here? What's going on?" She muttered spitefully as she watched the cars drive down the road, the people passing by, going on with their everyday lives. Suddenly, a flurry of movements caught her eye, and she looked to the left, were there was an alleyway. She saw two figures chasing a third, all the way through the narrow tunnels and brick walls, until the figure finally stopped at a dead-end.

”Nowhere to run now, Thorne. Return to us peacefully, and we won’t have to use force.”

Jett could hear the strained panting from the cornered figure, and she abandoned her questions as to how she got to the place she was at. She decided to move in closer. Jett jumped down behind them quietly, and watched the situation fold out from around the corner. 

"It's no use, she won't cooperate. We might as well knock her out." The second soldier said as he whipped out his taser. 

"I'll never give in." Jett heard the figure choke out, recognizing the all too familiar accent of her favorite person. She grit her teeth, feeling her resolve push her morals. If they lay even a single finger on her, they would meet their end right there and then. She saw the figures move in, and prepared her knives. Then, she saw a flash of blue, she saw Sage disarm one soldier and shoot the taser at the other one. 

**Crack.**

"FUCK! She's getting away!" Jett heard a soldier cry out in pain. She saw Sage run out of the alleyway, and limped down the street with the mist around her, gradually healing her and allowing her to change into a sprint. Jett decided to step in, she had to make the soldiers pay for even trying to hurt her.

She put on her hood and blocked off a soldier. "Who are you?" He stuttered out. Jett smiled under her disguise, and threw a knife into his throat. He let out a pitiful garbled choke as he clutched his throat, before falling on the ground. Jett walked over to the one with a broken arm, who backed onto a wall. Jett dashed to him, crushing his chest up against the wall. She heard his pained grunt, and chuckled sardonically. "What are you-?" The soldier tried to speak, but she punched him square in the nose. Her inner sadistic self reveled in his pain, especially considering the circumstances.

"I'll keep this brief. You touched the healer. Unfortunately for you, that means guaranteed death. Say goodbye to your pitiful, sad life." 

“Hawk?! Whose side are you on?" She heard the victim sputter out.

"Mine." she said with glee as her hand thrusted the knife into his throat.

The soldier thrashed under her boot, before falling limp, indicating he was dead. Jett sighed, and picked up her knives. She wiped the blood off of them before leaving the scene. 

"Only **I** am allowed to hurt the dove." She muttered as she jumped away, following Sage's trail. However, when she turned around the intersection, everything went dark. 

***

**Memory Room #2**

She was in a forest, where it was green all around. Birds were chirping in the distance, and she saw squirrels skittering amongst the trees. Jett was now crouching behind a tree, where she saw a greenhouse owned by Kingdom. There were guards all around the perimeter, watching for intruders. She heard a gunshot, and saw an agent with a guardian perched on top of a small ledge in the forest. The figure had a glowing blue eye, and long blonde hair. 

"Sova. What's he up to?" Jett watched his line of sight, as he shot each soldier in the head. Gunshots were heard, as the troops were now shooting at him. Jett realized that he was acting as a diversion, and dashed to the back gate. She saw a flash of purple and a single soldier fall, and rushed forward quietly. Jett pulled out a single knife, and slowly made her way inside. She heard hushed voices, meaning that there was more than one person.

"Put the spike here, right near the boxes." Jett heard a deep voice say. She heard a clicking sound, and a steady beep.

”Lets make this quick. There’s a museum that I wanted to visit with Viper.”

"How many guards are around us?" Jett widened her eyes. It was Sage's voice. It sounded lovely.

"At least 5. There's also one currently spying on us right now."

_Shit._

"Show yourself!" Sage's voice called out, and Jett heard the cock of a pistol. She heard footsteps slowly approach her, the spike's steady beeps now slowly turning into more frantic ones. Jett channeled her tattoos, readying herself as she prepared to take them down and defuse the spike. The moment one of them turned the corner, she would take them by surprise.

Except they didn’t.

The footsteps abruptly stopped at the edge, all was quiet except for the beeping of the radianite spike. _What are they doing?_

”Where are they?” Sage softly whispered to her partner.

”Behind that wall.”

Jett propelled herself upward as the bullets pierced through the wall. The silent pistol rounds were heard from inside, and Jett just barely managed to dodge them by the skin of her teeth. She threw a cloudburst in front of her in hopes of smoking off their field of vision. Jett pushed herself back into the bushes, using the wind to deflect any bullets coming her way. However, one managed to clip her shoulder, and she fell out of the air. “Damn, her aim is on point.” She murmured as she sent a signal to all the kingdom troops in the area through her wrist watch. Sure enough, the troops started to storm the area, running to the direction of the beeping. Jett watched the situation pan out, seeing blood and hearing gunshots coming from the building.

She saw Sage and a purple-haired lady sprint out of the building, Sage raising a wall up and fleeing the scene. Jett took this opportunity to dash in and defuse the spike. She destroyed the ice wall and saw the spike now beeping at a rapid rate. 

Jett silently defused the spike, until it retracted back into its shell. She breathed a sigh of relief, just as the troops stormed the room. “Good job Hawk. High command will be pleased about this.” One mercenary praised.

Despite his words, all she could think about was the bullet that clipped her shoulder. The sinful pleasure of knowing who managed to land it had her feeling jittery.

”Took you guys long enough. Who are you all? The cleanup crew?” Jett scoffed as she left the bewildered troops behind. Jett dashed away, walking back into the forest, where it all became dark again.

***

She found herself back in the hallway, where she saw Omen writing on a clipboard.

”You have a fondness for her. How **intriguing**.”

Jett felt panic rise in her heart. Did her brain just expose her feelings to a weird nightmarish entity?

”What did you do?” She asked shakily.

”Nothing of concern to you. Have a good sleep.” His deep tone rang in her ears as darkness pulled her aside once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized that if you’re not Omen’s ally, he’s gonna see all the delusional wet kinky fantasies that y’all dream of every night.
> 
> Don’t dream about your kinky fantasies, or else you’ll scar Omen even more than he already is.


	10. Envious Epiphany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jett wakes up real early, to see a sentinel that she really likes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm BACK!

**5:30 am CDT.**

Jett woke up in cold sweat, her arms were numb after being clamped down for so long. But interestingly enough, her bonds were removed. Jett lifted her arms, and looked around the surrounding area. It was mostly quiet, a few nightlights illuminated the dark room. Jett remembered that she spent the night in the Valorant's med bay, but seemed to be in a different location now.

She looked around and quietly got up. She could feel her powers running through her, meaning the collar was gone. "This is new. Why are they letting me go without the collar?" She muttered to herself. Jett walked around the dark room, seeing nothing but a large counter with a clear metal slab covering buttons. The clock showed that it was 5:30 am. Jett examined each crevice and corner in case there was anything useful, but there was nothing.

Jett remembered the dream she had, and abruptly shivered at recalling the cold, raspy voice of Valorant's phantom. He had a clipboard, a fucking clipboard. He was taking notes on her, and was looking for her motives.

Jett opened the door across the room, and saw a hallway. The lights lit up at her entrance, illuminating the quiet place. There were security cameras in the hallway, and a row of doors that she saw. ‘ _I should find a way to leave this place.’_ She thought to herself. Her knives were confiscated from her, meaning she would either have to resort to fists, or to steal a weapon.

She quietly stumbled through the cold hallways, smoking off the cameras to prevent them from seeing her, until she heard faint bangs from a room beside the one that she initially came out from. Out of curiosity, Jett quietly opened the door, and saw long locks of black hair that flowed down the figure’s shoulders.

Sage? What was she doing so early in the morning? She looked like she was holding a gun while shooting what looked like humanoid metal bots. The bots kept blinking and disappearing from different locations, and each time one appeared, Sage would one-tap them with immaculate precision and accuracy.

And yet, Sage’s posture was stiff, as if she was always on edge, afraid of something that would jump out at her. She heard the sentinel sigh as Sage put the gun away, letting it be locked away in a compartment and headed towards the exit where Jett was watching her.

 _Shit._ She needed to hide. Jett looked around frantically, and dove behind some boxes. Thankfully, Sage walked right past her, her footsteps making their way through the base. Jett took the opportunity to sneak quietly behind the healer in hopes of finding a way to escape the Valorant base.

Escape. Go back to Kingdom, where she would presumably get a beat down or a severe punishment of sorts for not reporting back.

Was that really the better option? Valorant did mention that they were recruiting more for their side. But at what cost will that bring? _'_ _Do I really want to leave?'_ Jett thought to herself as she continue to trail the healer, whist avoiding the obvious cameras set in the area. They soon arrived at a door that led them outside, where Jett could feel the wind blowing. She looked around the vicinity, seeing the ground level off to reveal nothing but clouds. The assassin snuck to the edge of the ground, where she looked down and saw empty space. 

A million questions ran through her head. "Where the fuck am I? Are we in the sky or something?" She asked herself, completely flabbergasted.

"We are on an island."

Jett jumped at the voice, and saw Sage a few feet behind her. Sage was eerily calm as she walked up to the ledge where Jett was. "An unfortunate mishandling of radianite caused this phenomenon to occur. Places such as Haven and Ascent were affected as entire buildings rose into the air, completely suspended by radianite crystalline that formed within the cores."

"W-wait, that means..." Jett spluttered as she took this information. Sage nodded mutely as her brown eyes bore into Jett's blue ones. "The ones who tore the pieces of land away from their rightful places is the very same corporation that you work for.”

”Your base is on an ISLAND?!” Jett said with surprise in her voice. That would explain why they never found Valorant’s base to begin with, why they were so elusive. But how did they travel in between the island and mainland? There had to be some form of specialized technology involved.

”Unfortunately, we’ve let you see too much. Your decision to join us must be made soon.” Sage turned her head.

”What will you do if I said no?” Jett asked, dreading the possible answers, including death.

“I don’t know. Perhaps We’ll send you back, completely wipe your mind of these recent events, maybe even kill you right here on the spot.” Sage tilted her head upwards and looked at the stars. They shone brilliantly with each passing second. Despite the death threats that Sage had basically let out, Jett couldn’t deny the quiet and peaceful circumstances that she was in.

A home, safe from the masses of the Kingdom corporation. A place dedicated to freeing the world from their tyranny. And most importantly, a trustworthy family. It really all seemed too good to be true.

Way too good.

Jett looked over at the ledge for a moment, debating on where her life purpose is headed. Obviously, her inner longtime ~~crush~~ rival looked at her expectantly, before turning their head away as well.

”I still haven’t forgotten what you did that day.”

Jett turned her head towards the healer, her own heart beating with anxiety and guilt. It was rare for her to regret hurting her victims, but her heart always made an exception for the sentinel, the only one who showed her real compassion at a time where she was lost. Jett wasn't sure why she did all those horrible things to Sage, what made her inner self take out her demon.

"Sage...I-"

Before she could say anything, a sudden hand was covered her eyes. 

"Shhh. Do you trust me?" Sage's voice whispered into her ear, making the assassin shiver. A moment of silence passed.

"Yes." She finally replied shakily, her heart beating quickly. Jett felt a blindfold pressed over her eyes and a gentle hand hold her own, pulling her in a direction that she could not register from her blinded state.

"Follow me. I'll show you something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short, I know. On my break, I was really struggling to find a good storyline and keep track of school, i think I've found it though, so bear with me.
> 
> Deal with it, peasants.
> 
> Oh and happy Halloween


	11. Peaceful Promenade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm lazy. Just read the chapter
> 
> Oh there's a bit of Cypher x Killjoy too

Peace.

That was all Jett could hear. Absolute peace. There was no bustling traffic or human footsteps that Jett could pick up. There were no squeamish sounds of bones cracking and joints popping from the lower slums. All she could hear was the gentle wind blowing, and the casual sounds of boots clipping the ground.

She could not make out any surroundings, for she was blindfolded. Jett could not hear anything definitive either, other than their footsteps that crunched through the uneven ground.

She could definitely get used to the cold feel of Sage’s fingertips though.

It was a refreshing feeling, the sentinel’s soft but cold hands resting on her exposed forearm. Jett felt herself being pulled through different twists and turns, until they stopped. “Where are we?”

”Patience. We are almost there.”

Sage’s voice was calm and collected as Jett heard the sounds of whirring, something in front of her seemed to radiate a magnetic field that pulled her slightly forward. The healer pulled her again, and Jett felt what seemed to feel like a sheet of plastic wrap flow through her body, before the feeling faded away.

She heard the sounds of birds chirping in the distance, the sounds of leaves blowing in the wind. A strong floral smell reached her nostrils, indicating that they were near an area with an abundance of floral plants.

The blindfold was gently pulled off, her peripherals revealing a field of white flowers, with Sage’s form standing in the middle of it. The sunrise lit up the valley behind them, illuminating the area with beautiful shades of orange and yellow. There were trees to the far left, as well as spots of red, pink, purple and blue on the other sides of the field.

Jett’s wide blue eyes took in the scenery, drinking in the vast colors that were magnificently displayed in front of her. She couldn’t help but awe at the realization that there were still places that were not touched by Kingdom’s tech, let alone pieces of nature that were still flourishing under the mass extraction of radianite.

Beside her, an exhale was heard. Jett saw Sage let go of her hand and wander deeper into the field, elegantly twirling about in the field, humming a little tune to herself. “Sage? Where are you going?” Jett asked quietly, unsure of the sudden movement.

No response.

The bastion’s eyes suddenly stared forward, as if she saw something that Jett could not see.

Jett watched her waddle through the field of flowers, continuing to hum a small lullaby to herself, before closing her eyes and swaying her head lazily against the gentle breeze.

”Sage?”

It was as if she was suddenly possessed by an entity.

_What does this place really mean to her?_

All of a sudden, Jett felt a strange sense of disconnection from the healer. Normally when people emotionally bond, there’s a feeling that draws them together like a tether, no matter how far away they are.

But in this case, Sage seemed to be detached from reality, and dealing with her own problems **alone.** Jett had not felt sympathy for people in a long time, and the first seeds of the feeling bloomed as she watched the healer wander farther into the field, seemingly taking in her own sudden misery and dealing with it by herself.

It felt like Sage was in a different place altogether, lost in her own fantasy.

Jett felt a sudden pang of loneliness, remembering her own feelings. Did Sage ever feel lonely at times as well? _What kind of struggles did you have to go through?_

For the first time, Jett didn’t feel like they were so different after all. Perhaps Sage was just as human as her as well, and not like some higher being sent to earth to give guidance to mortals.

Without thinking, Jett glided towards the sentinel, panning her eyes across the valley, the Sun’s gentle rays continuing to light up the dawn. She put her hand on the healer’s shoulder, gently shaking her back down to earth. “Hey, you alright?” She blurted out softly, unsure of her feelings.

Sage seemed to snap out of her dazed feeling, and looked toward Jett, weariness blurring her irises. “It's nothing. I was just thinking about the many wonderful flowers that bloom at this time.” Jett’s face went slightly flush as Sage gave her a soft and wistful smile, pulling her hand gently towards the direction they were looking at.

She was trying to divert the subject.

“I really enjoy walking through these beautiful places, the atmosphere helps me calm down.” Sage said as they continued to walk through the valley. The wind assassin did not say anything, other than trying her best to understand why she was there and thinking about what just happened.

It suddenly dawned on her that Jett had momentarily forgotten the previous events that occurred.

Did Sage do this on purpose? Its not like the duelist even knew where she was, where Sage had really taken her. Is the peaceful Mother Nature supposed to make her question where her loyalties lie? Is she being gaslighted to forget what side she is supposed to be on?

Perhaps that was the case. But right now, that thought did not matter.

Right now, this warm feeling in her chest? She would commit a thousand murders just to keep this feeling forever.

"Each flower has a meaning of it's own." Sage said as she bent down to pick up a daisy from the field. "For example, a daisy symbolizes innocence and purity." Without warning, Sage sauntered over towards the very flushed and nervous Jett, and gently cupped it into her hand. The assassin shyly looked away, seeing some other flowers in the other parts of the valley. She wanted to say something, but it was at the tip of her tongue.

"What is it? You'll look like you have something to tell me." Sage commented as she looked over at Jett's wandering eyes.

"I...er-uh...could you perhaps tell me more about flowers and their symbolisms?" The assassin muttered shyly, not knowing what more to say. She couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth, what if Sage decided to pick on her for it?

To her surprise, Sage merely nodded and first turned to a patch of bright, pink peonies. "In China, peonies are often used to symbolize prosperity, good fortune and happiness.”

She then turned to a patch of white hyacinths. “Depending on the color of the hyacinth, different meanings are told. White hyacinths symbolize purity, innocence, and sincerity, but could also mean a prayer. On the other hand, purple is a symbol of extravagance, royalty, and dignity. But this is also a color of sorrow, and in some cases symbolizes forgiveness or deep regret. Red means love and compassion, usually used as an invitation for a game. And finally..."

Sage turned to the yellow hyacinths.

"..Yellow hyacinths represent jealousy. It's not a flower that you would want to give someone if you are trying to send an ulterior message. Other than that, it's a beautiful flower altogether." 

Jett turned to look at Sage's eyes, seeing her wistful and.....sad expression? Was it just her imagination?

"Well....in any case, this is very interesting. I guess I'll have to be selective when I send a flower bouquet to someone, yeah?" Jett winked mischievously.

Sage let out a small chuckle, before sitting down. "True, but that's only if they are willing to interpret the meaning behind your choices. Anyway, you're probably wondering why I chose this place for us to talk?"

Jett nodded in response, while fiddling with the daisy in her hand, anxious of the reasoning. There must be a reason behind Sage's choice of a flower field for their conversation.

"Everyone has a story behind them, a catalyst that pushes their motives. I want to know yours, Jett." 

Jett stopped fiddling with the daisy, and now faced Sage's warm brown eyes. They were looking at her with empathy and kindness. Jett couldn't help but look away, feeling like she didn't deserve it. Damn her mind for betraying her feelings. But she felt like she could trust Sage. After all, she only treated her with dignity, even when Jett practically tortured her beyond belief.

"Well....if you insist."

***

Cypher wasn't one to really sleep at night. He much preferred working on his tools and improving them for future uses.

There are also times where two nosy little agents keep taking his stuff and changing it at times.

He remembered the exploding paint canisters that stained his entire office for weeks. He recalled Raze laughing her ass off at the scene, and he scolded her in exasperation. Needless to say, she was forced to help him clean up his lab _and_ clean the guns for a week.

Raze was already a huge thorn to deal with, but then a certain German engineer showed up, it only got more... _rambunctious._

Cypher often caught her sneaking into the rooms of the other agents, curious of what kind of knowledge that they kept hidden from other agents. He caught her snooping into Viper's lab once, and had to get her out of there before Viper noticed a few of her cabinets had been searched.

Needless to say, the snake found them in her lab, standing on top of some shattered pieces of glass. Her glare was so murderous that Cypher thought he was dead meat, even though he wasn't even the one who committed the act.

Killjoy cowered behind his back that day, and Cypher had to profusely apologize. In the end, Viper had muttered something along the lines of "just get out of my room. I'll make sure she can't get in again." They left it at that.

Of course, that didn't stop Killjoy at all. She continued to poke around in other rooms, even when she was caught by the other agents.

Cypher couldn't really help but find it amusing, seeing her wander wherever she pleased.

Of course, he himself had to take extra precautions as well. But he was certainly more used to it than the other agents, since Raze really liked to terrorize him the most. He ended up locking up most of his spare batteries and other parts in a cabinet to see if Killjoy would stop by.

It was no surprise that she did.

He noticed that there was one less battery in his cabinet, presumably taken for her own purposes. So he decided to have a bit of fun.

One day, when the others were at the mess hall, he slowly snuck into Killjoy's locked lab. He twisted the wires in the recognition panel, and it allowed him to walk in with ease. He saw blueprints, scrap metal, unfinished alarm-bots, etc. The broker decided to take a transmitter, he needed an extra one for his cameras anyway.

As Cypher was about to leave, he noticed the complex blueprints that laid on the desk. He couldn't help but look at them, seeing the ideas behind the ingenious mind that Killjoy has with interest. He was so engrossed that he didn't realize that there was someone behind him clearing their throat.

"Ahem."

Cypher jumped and turned around to see Killjoy standing at the doorway. "What are you doing here? Are you looking through my stuff?"

"Ah..well..." Cypher fidgeted with a tripwire disk in his hand, desperately trying to think up an alibi. "I was looking for an extra servo for one of my tripwires. Breach got sore about it when I tried to take one from his arms."

Killjoy looked at him, her eyes prodding for lies. It got super awkward for a few moments, before Killjoy finally relented and walked inside. "Really? If that's the case, then you should've just asked me for one."

Cypher was about to turn away, before Killjoy interrupted him again.

"But I am curious. Why did you feel the need to break into my lab?"

Cypher was practically sweating. He decided to stretch the truth a little bit.

"Oh, I'm just checking your locks to see if they were impenetrable. Wouldn't put it past Raze to break into your lab again you know?" This wasn't exactly a lie, Cypher was indeed curious about how Killjoy was protective of her personal belongings. He just wanted to... _borrow_ a transmitter in the process.

At that statement, Killjoy laughed heartily. Cypher let out a small breath of relief. She wasn't mad. In fact, she looked quite adorable with her smile.

_Wait, adorable?_

"Understandable. That runt kept touching all of my equipment, saying it needed more color. Mein gott, she's a real troublemaker!" Killjoy chuckled, looking at Cypher with her bright, sparkling eyes. He couldn't help but feel warm inside, seeing her playful expression.

"I noticed you were looking at my blueprints. Do you want to see some more." Killjoy smiled as she picked one up. Cypher's blue eyes brightened in interest, and he cleared his throat.

"Ahem, well, if you insist."

They spent a good chunk of time talking about their gadgets, until Cypher decided he needed to leave. He left, Killjoy waved, and he trudged down the hallway.

Along the way, he passed by the med-bay. _I need a few painkillers from Sage, hopefully she is awake._ He thought to himself. Cypher opened the door slowly, making sure to not disturb the others. However, Sage was nowhere to be seen. "Where could she be?" He pondered as he took out a few capsules and stuffed them in his pocket. He decided to check his cameras.

Much to his surprise, he saw Sage dragging the assassin to the location of their gateway portal. _Damn it, Sage! What is your game plan?_ Cypher cursed in his mind as he sprinted towards their location. He knew that Sage was still afraid to some extent, but she was confronting her trauma head-on.

Cypher could only hope that he could get there in time before Sage accidentally reveals too much to their enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I noticed that people are putting their choices of songs in the end notes. I doubt you guys will actually listen since I pretty much listen to one playlist over and over again but honestly who cares?
> 
> The Lullaby  
> From The Start  
> Haunted Past  
> The Old Days  
> Who We Were  
> All of these are piano tracks created by a person named Sophism. 
> 
> Yes I like instrumentals. So sue me.
> 
> Btw is the plot going too fast? I feel like it is, let me know in the comments below


	12. Inquiring Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the calm before the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was writing this fic, and my internet decided to crash. So I lost like...
> 
> 80% of my work
> 
> Absolutely fun

Cypher ran towards the outskirts where the portal was located. He saw it glowing, and immediately ran towards the light. The broker caught two figures coming out of the light, one figure with a blindfold on their face, with the other pulling the former's arm. Cypher didn't need to guess who the two ladies were. He straightened himself up to look more formal.

"Ladies. Why are you taking a field trip at 5:30 in the morning?"

Jett flinched at how calm his voice was. Did he know about their ~~date~~ recreational talk that they just had?

"It's nothing serious, Cypher. I was just letting her have some fresh air." Sage said calmly.

Cypher couldn't believe what he was hearing. After what had happened to Sage in the few hours during her kidnapping, she was still willing to give her torturer a second chance? What was going on??

"Sage. You do remember who she is, right? We can't just ignore the fact that she could possibly be gaslighting you to believe that she is much better than she seems." Cypher protested. Sage sighed in response.

"I know, Cypher. Trust me, the girl couldn't even win an argument against Phoenix if she tried."

Jett felt that statement stab her in the chest. 

"I'm not letting her sway my opinions. I just don't think she should be cooped up in a cell for majority of her time here." Sage responded with steel in her voice. 

Cypher had to let out an exhale of pity. He knew about Sage's past, her own beliefs that made her strong. But those beliefs did not always resonate with everyone, especially not dangerous and brainwashed assassins that work for Kingdom. "I know you think that everyone deserves redemption, but some things are black and white. Intentional harassment is one of them."

Jett could not see, but she could feel Cypher's piercing gaze run over her, she could not help but flinch in cold sweat. It seemed like Sage didn't know about her other side of her crush, but Cypher did, and it was terrifying knowing that he withheld information that could be used against her at any point.

Sage slightly tightened her grip. This topic was not an easy subject to work around, especially considering her own nightmares were still not fully gone. The others may not know it, but she wanted to find closure quickly, or else she could ruin their plans for everyone. She could feel Jett stiffen, evidently feeling something that Sage could not definitively gauge right away.

"I know what I'm doing. I promise that she won't be an issue." She stated firmly.

At that moment, a rustle was heard. They all swiveled their heads towards the sound, revealing a very tired but still somewhat energetic Killjoy in the bushes.

”Ehm, is this a bad time for my entrance?” She coughed absentmindedly.

”Very. Explain why you’re here, Killjoy.” Cypher sighed.

Killjoy brushed some leaves off of her jacket, before turning towards Jett and pointing at her. "I agree with Sage. We shouldn't just keep her in a cell for the rest of her life. So, I believe I have a solution." The engineer pulled out what looked like a nano-chip, barely visible in the dark. The German pressed a hidden button that caused the chip to make a quiet blip sound and glow a light shade pink. "Since we're keeping her alive, Brimstone asked me to design a tracker that we can keep on her. It even has a detaining function, should she cause any trouble for us."

Killjoy passed the chip to Cypher, who analyzed it. It was expertly made, except...

"Wait, are these my wire disks?" He asked, shocked to see his wire disk design. Killjoy laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry about that Cypher. But you did take my transmitter, so we're even." She winked at him with triumph.

 _Ah. So she **was** aware. Sneaky._

"Well, I think this could work. Do you think we could test it out?" The broker asked while giving a glance towards Jett, whose blindfold was now pulled off. She didn't betray any emotion right off the bat, but judging by her stiff posture, she was afraid that they were going to try something on her. And she was right.

Jett gripped the side of Sage's arm tightly, to the point where Sage turned her head around to look at her with concern in her eyes. "You alright?" She whispered softly. Her soft whisper eased some of the anxiety in Jett's heart, but not completely.

"I still have to make some adjustments on it, but we could test it out later. Wanna help me out?" Cypher nodded, and handed the chip back to Killjoy, who put the chip in her pocket. Cypher Turned back to Sage. "You should put her back in her cell, before anyone else sees her out here. Perhaps we could give her some recreational time when we're done this chip. In the meantime, we'll have to keep her there."

Sage nodded in agreement. Finally, Killjoy turned to Jett. "Count yourself lucky, Hawk. You got someone softening your blows. Don't think of trying anything stupid."

"Wasn't planning on it. You guys are looking into this too much." The assassin muttered back. Killjoy sighed, before turning away. "I wonder why that is?" She asked sarcastically. The two agents left the area, walking back to the base. Sage tugged at Jett's arm. 

"Let's go, Jett. This is the most freedom that they're probably willing to give you, and I don't blame them for their paranoia." 

"Just how much do they really hate Kingdom?" Jett asked. As they walked across the yard and back to the base, Sage replied.

"I suppose our hatred ranges from agent to agent. Kingdom has taken something from each of us."

"And what about you? Why do you fight with Valorant?" Jett inquired curiously.

Sage looked at her with sad eyes. There was a bitter darkness behind them, so bitter that Jett thought Sage was an entirely different person. But she said nothing more.

"Let's go, Jett."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haHAhahaAHahaH
> 
> I'm ready to put your hearts in a blender. >;)


	13. Eluding Desires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is solely focused on Jett's thoughts and POV. Don't worry, action will come soon.

Jett sat in her cell, many thoughts and questions overwhelming her. She could not comprehend her thoughts properly. A lot had happened within that hour, too much for Jett to properly piece together without taking the time to link together the puzzle pieces patiently.

She decided to start with their adventure. As soon as the moment came into her mind, her heart started to beat a little faster. The girl’s mind went flush immediately. The smell of flowers in the air seemed fresh in her mind, the crisp sounds of tree leaves blowing continued to form in her ears.

But Jett could not deny that Sage was the main focus of her thoughts.

Originally when they had arrived, Jett was convinced that something was up. The thought still stands, but now it seemed like the intention behind their little stroll was something else. In fact, Jett had seen a softer side to the healer.

Their usual encounters were usually cold, with Jett often toying with her and playing around, while Sage ended up shooting piercing and chilly words in return. There was never really a fluffy or warm moment in between. It didn’t really help that they were on two different sides, and that Jett didn’t feel like joining Valorant at the time.

***

_ “Your code name will be Hawk. You've completed your training, blah blah blah. Your first task is already given to you, complete it within the allotted time and you will get your reward.” _ her boss had grunted. He was a grungy old man who had allegedly been in charge of countless overseas operations. He wasn’t exactly her favorite person to deal with either, and they didn’t have the most stable relationship.

Still, she could not complain at the time. Her first mission was to kill the chief of the police unit and frame his death as a suicide. Easy enough.

  
  


Or so she thought.

  
  


The events were so clear in her mind. Jett had felt a part of her mind wilt away as her knife pressed up against the man’s throat. His fearful gaze matched hers, begging for release. 

It had hurt her, even though he didn’t even put up a fight. In fact, the assassin managed to pin him to the ground with ease thanks to her radianite capabilities. But it still somehow failed her. For some reason, she still felt some guilty conscience pull her back from committing to the act.

It was a weak and shameful part of her that told her to not do it. But in the end, she brought the blade down, rending the life out of the dead man. The worst part?

He didn’t scream. He didn’t cry out. In fact, he lay still, eyes glossed over, blood leaking out of his throat. It looked like he knew his time was up, and he accepted it till the end. 

That was the first time Jett had killed someone. No, it was Hawk. Hawk’s first mission was a success. Her mind was numb as she dragged his body up to his bed, where she kept the knife lodged in his throat to make it look like he simply slashed his own windpipe. Hawk had no emotions, no empathy, no pity. She was a silent killer, an assassin of the deadliest caliber with the power of wind.

Jett was not needed. Jett was discarded, for she was too weak to handle such gory matters. Thus, the existence of an innocent girl had been beaten out of her by her merciless superiors. All for the sake of forging her into a weapon.

_ It is for the greater good, _ they said.  _ This is essential for the pursuit of radianite, _ they said.  _ This is essential for Kingdom, this is essential for  _ **_you_ ** _ , _ they said. 

  
  


_ We have to stop all those who don’t believe that in our ways. And that is where you come in. _

  
  


Hawk didn’t believe their words, not a single drop. If Kingdom really wanted to convince people that they weren’t so bad, why didn’t they just market and produce their products in a way that didn’t affect others?

Hawk was aware that many things were happening due to failed experiments and handling with radianite. But did it affect her? No.

Kingdom gave her a purpose, a reason to live.

But Jett would always be at the back of her mind, pleading that it wasn’t right. Although it was a weak voice, it never truly went away. It was always there, waiting.

Over time, she had learned to quiet the innocent voice. All Hawk knew was violence, bloodshed and murder. For a while, there was a small part of her that actually enjoyed it. But she was mostly numb, and that’s why she started playing with them. She received a lot of sadistic pleasure from the pleading and scurrying from her victims, especially when they tried to pay her off.

That all changed when Hawk failed her first mission, where the spike she had planted was defused by Valorant’s agents. Hawk was curious about each agent, and decided to look into them further. 

How was she to know that the one called Sage had a cute and pretty face? Not to mention the fact that the assassin found herself looking deeper into Kingdom’s archives, past events that involved the destruction of resources and settlements. As she did, Jett remembered one particular case where the chief officer that she had previously taken out had been seen in a coffee shop, disguised well enough for no one to recognize him, but not well enough to hide from their murderer.

Hawk followed the person until they met up with another companion. Their companion was a woman who had long black hair that flowed down their shoulders. She wore a turquoise jacket that covered her body down to her knees, but Hawk saw the familiar belt of turquoise orbs that were hidden under the jacket. Sage, the bastion of China was with him.

Jett had studied her list of strengths and weaknesses for some time, even though it was not that comprehensive. All that she knew at the time was that Sage could heal and throw slow orbs, as well as being a part of a secret organization known as Valorant. 

Sage’s face was covered by a surgical face mask, which was common in their run down area that they were in. Poverty ravished the streets, fights were common, and beggars were commonly seen on the edges of the street. No one would’ve batted an eye to the agent, who was hiding in plain sight. Hawk’s hood covered her white hair, disguising her from the rest of the world. It should’ve let her go undercover and let her sneak up on the duo that were now 15 feet in front of her. Unfortunately, Sage’s brown eyes made contact with hers, seeing her approach them slowly. Hawk wanted to break the gaze, but soon, Jett came out of the shadows and held it firmly. 

They held it for what seemed like a while, until the chief followed Sage’s gaze. She saw Sage whisper something to her companion, and he bolted around the corner. Jett wanted to pursue the man, but Sage’s presence blocked her from going anywhere else. Strangely enough, Hawk wanted to fight the healer, once again taking control of the girl’s mind, but this time, Jett complied.

First, they needed to go to an area where no one would interfere.

Jett threw down three smoke bombs that covered the surrounding area, quick enough for her to dash towards the healer and push Sage down in one go. She quickly dragged the healer into a more quiet area, where Sage grabbed her forearm and used her body weight to flip herself upwards. They examined each other silently, until Sage broke it.

“Who are you? What purpose do you have with me?”

Jett smirked at the woman’s dark and serious expression, and lazily played with a knife in her hand, letting it spin around above her palm. The assassin looked at the other's defensive form in amusement. “I was simply curious about you. Wanted to ask you something.”

Confusion pooled into Sage’s eyes, her eyes narrowed as she took in this information. Her posture switched to a more relaxed stance, crossing her arms and tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. “Pray tell, what kind of question do you have for me?”

“I will cut to the chase. That guy behind you was the chief of the current police force. If I am not mistaken, wasn’t he officially pronounced dead a while ago?” She asked innocently. Jett watched a single eyebrow raise upward on Sage’s face, and the tiniest glint of…

..was that a twinkle?

“I think you must be confused. The man you are talking about did die, and the official records claim that it was an act of suicide. Why do you think the man that I was with was the chief of police?” Sage asked, feigning perplexity.

Jett let out a small knowing chuckle. Did this woman really think she didn’t know what’s up? “The man that was with you, he and I were quite acquainted with each other.” The assassin inched slightly closer to the healer in front of her, her grin widening with contempt. “I saw his face, and I was absolutely sure that he could not have come back from the dead. Unless…”

Jett dashed behind Sage and pressed a knife up against her throat. She felt Sage flinch under her grasp, straining her thin arms under Jett’s iron grip. Jett breathed alluringly into her ear.

“...someone kept him alive before his life completely drained from his eyes.”

Normally, this tactic would’ve caused most people to involuntarily shiver, letting them reveal their vulnerability for a brief moment, allowing her to knock them down. Instead, she was shoved backwards into the wall, all the air expelled from her lungs. Jett loosened her grip, allowing her victim to rip herself free. Before Jett knew it, a hand slammed her up against the wall again, causing her to gasp for air. Sage looked at her with a stern gaze, examining her as she pinned the assassin up on the rough bricks. Jett wanted to say something, and as she opened up her mouth, a moan came out.

“Ah~”

_ She definitely will not like that. _ Jett cursed inwardly at first, but soon took that thought back. Perhaps this would throw off the calm demeanor that the sentinel usually carried with her. Jett bit her lower lip invitingly, giving her a wink. 

Sure enough, Sage narrowed her eyes, and loosened her grip slightly in disgust. “Don’t tell me you’re enjoying this.” Her voice had a subtle shakiness behind it, and for some reason, this invigorated both Hawk and Jett.   


“H-Harder~....” Jett purred gleefully. To her amusement, Sage let go and stumbled back, clearly aghast at the reaction. A childish satisfaction filled Jett up, through and through. If Sage was willing to play hard to get, then Jett wanted to win the game. She threw a single knife Sage, thinly grazing her left cheek. A thin line of red dripped from the cut.

“I shouldn’t be here…” Jett heard Sage mutter. Before she could react, the bastion threw a single orb at her, locking her feet to the ground. “Already done? But the fun has just started~” Jett channeled her tattoos, pushing herself forward. But before she could reach the healer, a wall formed in front of her, blocking her off.

Jett was mesmerized at the beautifully crafted structure in front of her. She stuck her hand out to touch the blue/turquoise surface. It sent ethereal chills through her fingertips and down her spine.  _ Did she make this? I didn’t know she was capable of such a thing..  _

_Wait, what was I doing?_ Jett was so distracted that she hadn’t realized why the wall was there in the first place. The snow-haired girl propelled herself upwards, and saw that Sage had disappeared from the area. Again.

_ Ba-bump. _

“Hawk. Report to base. You have been assigned a new mission.” A voice interjected from her earpiece, interrupting her thoughts. Hawk paused, taking a moment to process the information, before replying back. “Yes sir.”

As she walked off, Hawk could not help but remember Sage’s shocked face as she pinned Jett to the wall.  _ The feeling of her cold hands that pressed up to her neck. _ Her heart was pumping faster than before, and her mouth cracked into a maliciously wide smirk that lasted for so long it hurt her cheek muscles. It made sense, considering the fact that she hadn’t smiled properly in a long time.

_ What she wouldn’t give to have that feeling again. _

***

__

Jett rubbed her neck at the memory, her thoughts encasing her in a euphoric fantasy.  _ When did I become such a masochist? I want to feel her again. _

__

_ Huff. _

_ Is it wrong for me to have these thoughts?  _ Jett sighed to herself, now facing the ceiling of the white cell. She never really thought about what she wanted, her persona was always the deathbringer Hawk. No one needed her true personality, no one really wanted to hear her story.

_ "Everyone has a story behind them, a catalyst that pushes their motives. I want to know yours, Jett.” _

All but one person. Jett’s cold heart softened a bit, playing back their conversation in her mind. Sage was pretty understanding, letting her tell their tale. In a way, Jett felt some of her guilt wash away, her conscience relieved of some of the pressure. But a new form of guilt had replaced the old form. Jett felt ashamed of the previous abuse that Sage had suffered under her hands, even when Sage had not berated her much for it. Was Sage always this concealed and buttoned up? 

Now that she thought of it, Sage never specified her definitive past, nor her own motives other than "for the greater good". When Jett had asked the question, Sage’s soft gaze had hardened, almost transforming into an entirely different person. The bitterness came as quickly as it left her eyes, and the healer just played it off in the end, what was up with that?

“Let’s go, Jett.”

More questions came, with little to no answers provided to her. 

Perhaps she could figure it out, and maybe help Sage find closure as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs I listened to
> 
> The Tempest - Robert W. Smith  
> Destination - Sophism  
> All the things she said - Seraphine remix  
> Kindred, the Eternal Hunters login theme - League of Legends
> 
> I also wanna say, thank you for reading. I've been really stressed and sad and all of that, but your kudos and comments make my days better. My music taste is also questionable but ahahaha oh well


	14. Noteworthy Observations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to make a funny joke here, but I'm all out of ideas.
> 
> On the flip side, when i get notifs for comments, it fills me with serotonin. So thanks for donating your time :)))))

_“I don’t remember too much of my childhood.” Jett said after a pause. Sage nodded, letting her continue._

_“I just know that I grew up on the poorer streets of Seoul. I often stole food, and got into fights with others. Wasn’t fun, y’know, a bunch of bloody brawls happened.”_

_“Then the first light happened. I found out that I was exposed when I leaped from one roof to another. Over time, I learned to control my unstable powers, and I became the talk of the street.”_

_“Kingdom came to me, after I basically took over the street with my wind powers. They wanted me to join them, but I knew them for the hacks that they are. When I refused to comply, there was a woman who disarmed me with radianite-proof cuffs. I was promptly knocked out, and when I woke up, I found myself in a room where there was nothing but a desk. I was strapped to an operating table , where another man in a white jacket came in.”_

_Jett paused after this statement, and waited for Sage to process this information. Sage furrowed her eyebrows in concern, but said nothing. Judging by Jett’s sudden glassy expression, the next few sentences will not be easy for her to utter out._

_“What did they do to you?” Sage asked, softly. Jett shut her eyes, and fiddled with a daisy, plucking each petal off at a bitterly slow rate._

_“All kinds of things. Injections, experiments, you name it.” Jett grunted, letting the petals fall onto the ground. “Eventually, I think they got what they wanted. They made a monster out of me.”_

_Just like they did with Sabine. Sage thought, a wave of sadness rolled through. Sage only realized now how little she knew of Jett’s past, and felt almost slightly guilty of all the sharp words she had slung at the assassin in the past._

_“I can’t remember how long it went on for. Eventually, I had to submit to them. There was a part of me that enjoyed the pain, and I hated that part. I always felt that afterwards, I wasn’t myself anymore. It was like I was someone else, a person that liked to kill.” Jett sighed, laying back onto the field, looking up at the sky._

_Sage knew it. Jett wasn’t a bloodthirsty killer at all. She was just another person that was trying to survive the aftermath of the First Light, and the aftermath of the horrid experiments of a corporation._

_But then why did she not seem to resent them as much as Viper did?_

_“I’m sorry that you had to go through all that. It must’ve been hard.” Sage murmured, and cupped her hand around Jett’s tense palm. It relaxed a bit, and Sage heard a choked sob from the other girl._

_“I’m sorry, I-I haven’t cried in a long time..” Jett sniffled, turning her head away in shame. “Let it all out Jett. Don’t be ashamed of crying.” Sage said reassuringly. “I won’t look if you don’t want me to.”_

_Before she knew it, Jett had pressed up behind her and buried her face into the healer’s back. Her arms had wrapped around her waist, enveloping her in a tight hug, almost as if Jett didn’t want to let go._

_Sage didn’t tense up. Instead, she relaxed into the desperate embrace, letting Jett release all her pain. She closed her eyes, and listened to the breeze as it gently carried the desperate cries away._

_***_

_After a while, Jett finally relaxed, but did not let go. Sage looked down at Jett’s lean arms absentmindedly. They revealed her tattoos that lit up at the use of the assassin’s powers._

_Mesmerized, Sage traced the curling patterns with her finger subconsciously. “Did they carve these patterns into your skin too?”_

_“Mmmmhmm. I figured that if they were gonna do it, I might as well choose a design for myself.”_

_“It’s a lovely pattern.”_

_“Thanks...I guess.” Jett’s muffled voice muttered from behind her. There was contempt behind those words. Sage turned her head in mild confusion and concern._

_“What’s wrong? Is there something else I should know?”_

_“_ **_Nah. I’ve told you too much._ ** _” Jett’s low gravelly voice spoke out. Sage whipped her head towards the duelist, concerned about the sudden change in tone. The tone suddenly became more hostile as Jett spoke._

_But just as quickly as it came, it left. All Sage saw was an innocent face staring back at her. Her blue eyes stared back, no form of hostility found._

_“What? Is there something on my face?”_

_“Ah. It’s nothing.” Is she hiding something? “I think we should head back.”_

_“Sure.”_

_And they left it at that._

* * *

Sage was thinking about Jett’s story, and the experiments and tests that were involved. What kind of other unruly things were they doing in their secretive labs? Pity stirred in her heart, she could not see Jett as a deadly hired assassin after that.

But what about all those encounters that they had? She was so different back then. _“I always felt that afterwards, I wasn’t myself anymore.”_ Was Kingdom trying out new ways to break people down psychologically? No, it was something worse.

They may have been trying to groom their victims into murderous killers.

But did they target radiants specifically? 

There was one agent that could help her answer these questions. But that agent just so happened to be the least sociable of them all.

The snake was also quite prickly at times, and only Reyna had ever managed to calm her down, ever. The perks of being her girlfriend and whatnot.

 _But I should at least find out more about what they are up to._ Sage thought. With that in mind, she decided to go look for Viper and see if she was willing to provide info of some kind. Maybe she could help Jett in a way.

Right now, Viper was currently on her “break” from the Kingdom HQ. The woman had managed to snag a 2 week vacation from her dangerous job, and was currently residing in the VALORANT protocol base. 

_I might never really understand how much power and influence she truly has, if she’s able to get a break_. Sage thought as she got up from the desk.

As Sage walked through the base, she found Phoenix and Raze again, this time competing on their aim and how many bots they could take out. The two agents seemed to be having a blast as they shot bullets at the bots that spawned.

“Heck yeah! I got a new record on the high score!” Phoenix whooped, pumping his fist high in the air as his score reached 69. Raze simply scoffed.

“We’ll see about that, fire-boy! Oh lookie here!” Raze’s score suddenly shot up as she secretly grenades blew a bunch of robots up. Phoenix whipped his head around, seeing the score spike in numbers.

“Hey! Did you just cheat? Naw naw naw, those numbers don’t count.” Phoenix protested, his jacket flaring up with his outburst. Raze simply stuck out her tongue. “Don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I saw those grenades you little shit. Don’t pretend like you didn;t know.” Phoenix narrowed his eyes, cracking an annoyed smile at the warhead. Raze simply shrugged, feigning innocence.

“We never said anything about using our tools, therefore I didn't cheat.” Raze snickered, mischief layered right under the casual tone. 

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep._

Right at that moment, the practice ring timer went off. 

“Aaaand it looks like I won the bet.” Raze laughed as she ducked under Phoenix's heavy swing. “You’re in charge of inventory check now!” The Brazillian laughed as she threw her satchel down and bounced just out of Phoenix’s melee range.

“You ain’t getting away with the last laugh! Git back ovah here!” Phoenix chuckled as he threw a curve ball in her direction, promptly blinding the bomber. A yellow glare practically covered her eyes. “Ah shit! I forgot about your stupid flashes!” Raze grunted as she stumbled and fell flat on the ground. 

The Brit ran over and immediately followed up with a noogie bomb to her skull, rapidly rubbing his knuckles in her hat. “Ow ow ow! You might actually set my head on fire!” Raze complained, but Phoenix did not relent, continuing his attack.

“Ow! Okay fine, you win! I’ll stay on inventory check!” Raze pleaded while laughing her ass off at the same time.

“And?” 

“I’ll take over kitchen duty as well, just let me go!” 

Phoenix let her go as the brazilian stumbled from his relenting arms. Raze rubbed her head, trying to soothe her burning hat. They left the room just as Sage came up against the doorway. “Hello duelists, having fun I see?” Sage chuckled after witnessing the entire ordeal that just went down.

“Oh hey Sage! It was fun until this hothead decided to give me a third-degree burn on my scalp.” Raze huffed out in minor annoyance as she took off the cap and shook it, cleansing it of any signs of a small flame. “It was deserved. You tried to up your game by using your paint canisters. We really need a third member who can settle our arguments.” Phoenix rolled his eyes while fiddling with his own little curveball in his palm. Sage watched the ball of heat float in his hands, tiny wisps of orange and yellow making small sparks of bright lights.

_Just like how Jett sometimes fiddles with a floating blade in her hand. They both have very similar personalities._

The thought came by uninvited, slipping through the cracks of Sage’s normally repellent mind. No, it couldn’t be true. Actually, she took that back. Phoenix, Raze and Jett would make a very interesting trio if they met under different circumstances.

That’s a very wistful thought. No way would the rest of the protocol even consider accepting her. They had to tread carefully, for Kingdom was always on their trail. If any of them slipped up once, it could lead to devastating consequences.

“Hey, you alright? You’re zoning out.” 

Raze snapped a few times in front of the sentinel’s face, pulling her back down to reality. “Ah yes, sorry about that. I was wondering if you’d seen Sabine at any point.” Sage asked. The two troublemakers looked at each other with looks that Sage could not immediately decipher. It was along the lines of….

...Smugness?

“She’s in Reyna’s room. Said not to disturb them, for they were doing some kind of experiment or whatever.” Raze chortled, with Phoenix tightening his jaw in amusement. Sage was confused, what were they talking about?

“Alright, thanks for the information. I’ll be off now.” Sage said slowly as she turned around, leaving the two duelists behind. As she walked away, she swore she heard them whisper amongst themselves.

“She doesn’t know, does she?”

“She’ll see soon enough, let's just get outta here.”

***

The sentinel arrived at the dorms, where she made her way towards Reyna’s living quarters. What could they possibly be doing right now? Knowing Viper and Reyna, they would not likely let Sage have any form of involvement in whatever secretive task they were doing.

She just needed answers for her pressing questions, that’s all.

As the bastion approached the front door, she could hear loud creaking sounds coming from the other side. They were not loud enough to disrupt the entire hallway, but Sage was exceptionally aware of her surroundings. From the outside, she could hear Sabine call out Reyna’s name.

“Reyna...I-ah~”

“Shhhhhhh, quiet my little serpiente. Just let me take control~”

That statement was immediately followed up by another high pitched moan, as well as more creaking and thumping sounds. Sage could only stand outside, no longer willing to knock on the door. She could feel her own face heating up, before slapping both cheeks and let out a sigh. Sage immediately turned towards the opposite end of the hallway, her brain trying to process and block out what possibly could be happening behind the door.

“I’ll just ask tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can beat my corpse if you wish, I'm just tryna slug through this month in one piece.
> 
> A trail of thoughts - Sophism  
> Good Morning! - Sophism  
> The lullaby (instrumental and vocal) - Sophism  
> Xue Hua Piao Piao - Yu-Ching
> 
> I promise you guys, the first two songs actually represent Phoenix and Raze, I sweaarrrrrrrrrrr  
> Thanks for reading, love you guys


	15. Dancing Demons

“So what would you like to know?” Viper mused as she drank from the warm teacup she held within her hands. Sage looked at her tired emerald eyes, obviously still reeling from her “session” that they had a few hours ago. Sage let out an amused scoff.

“Did you have a good time?” 

Slight tinges of red appeared on the woman’s face, but she simply continued to sip her drink. She said nothing at first, only giving Sage a shark-like gaze and a grin behind the cup. “I haven’t had a good time in a long while to say the least.” She finally let out.

“That’s good, as long as you’re not too stressed out. It’s good to take a break.” Sage smiled, the question at the tip of her tongue. Viper nodded, before setting the cup down on the table in front of them.

“I’m guessing that you invited me here to ask me about what intel I’ve gained inside Kingdom, yes?” She asked, setting the tone straight from their small banter. Sage nodded in response, to which Viper sighed.

“I’m just curious as to why you want me to tell you privately instead of letting me tell the team. What kind of confidential information would you like to know that’s so secretive that you’re keeping me inside of your room?” Viper asked, earning her a serious look from Sage.

“You know how we are currently keeping Jett in our custody for now, and the possibility of Kingdom using her to track us down. I believe that maybe she is the result of something possibly more sinister that we might not know about.” Sage stated, piquing Viper’s interest.

“Oh? What do you mean?”

“It’s no surprise that Kingdom often ‘recruits’ others to join them for their tasks, as I’m sure you’re aware of all of these horrible things happening, right?” 

Viper nodded to that, lips shut. Her eyes darkened slightly, but no hostility came forward, allowing the healer to continue. 

“I recently found out that they not only did experiments on those new ‘recruits’, but often kept them in poor living conditions. Do you know what their purpose is for doing so?” Sage asked bluntly.

Viper sighed, seeing the direction the convo was going. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I think I may have slightly contributed to the experiments that they performed, as my job was to provide the chemical drugs. But even then, not much is circulated beyond the higher ups, but I did hear about a man who ran the whole operation.”

“A man?” Sage echoed. Could this be the same man that Jett had mentioned before?

“He went by the codename ‘Judicator’, and I never really liked his presence. He had this creepiness to him…” Viper’s face scrunched up in disgust as she talked about the man. Sage was interested in this new name, and asked for more info on him.

“From my own perspective, he was a sly man, who always seemed to be one-step ahead of everyone. I would say that he is a manipulative, pathological liar. In fact, he once invited a bunch of people to a gathering, and ‘treated’ everyone to drinks. I noticed the drinks were laced with Twinfang, the chemical drug that I designed as a painkiller, but as you know, one side effect is disinhibition. I believe that it was his way of checking for moles.” Viper sighed, rubbing her temples at the memory. 

“Did he ever suspect you? I assume that he might’ve looked at your past files.” Sage asked with curiosity. Viper shook her head.

“Surprisingly, he hasn’t approached me that much. We talked a few times, but that doesn’t make him any less weird. After all, to him, there’s no reason for me to join VALORANT. Regardless, it’s honestly quite shocking as to how high his position is in the company.”

“And well...one day, all of Kingdom’s best doctors and chemists were to attend this…’event’ that was set up by him. What is this event, you may ask?” 

Sage nodded as she prepared herself for the answer, tightening her fists as she rested them on the table in front of them. Viper breathed in, and let out a steady breath.

***

_Viper stood near a window, revealing the spacious area inside of a big steel room, where she saw Jett standing in the middle of it. She had this jet-black collar on her neck, with a red light that flashed on and off at times. Before Sabine knew it, an alarm went off, and dozens of infected mutants that started rampaging towards the girl._

_Infected mutants were radianite experiments gone wrong, where radiants had become a twisted shell of what they once were, and only seek power and a consistent source of the material. And it just so happened to be that a radiant body bag was just what they needed._

_The girl looked so afraid, as each mutant closed in on her. But then, the collar lit up, sending an electrical pulse through her body. After the shock, Viper recognized a change in her eyes and her expression._

_Without warning, the wind radiant used her ionized knives and took them all out with ease. There were over 50 mutants from each wave that they sent out, and after the 36th wave, she was on the verge of passing out. It pained Viper to watch the entire thing go down, but she had to keep her mouth shut._

_The waves only kept coming, with Jett shooting them all down tirelessly. With each passing second, Viper felt worry build up. How long would she be able to endure before she collapses?_

_Finally, after each wave, it seemed like it was over. The doors that usually held the beasts back were no longer producing loud thuds and bangs. It seemed like that was the end of it, with the girl letting out a sigh of relief. But the relief was short-lived._

_A sudden huge mutant was let out of it’s cage. It was bigger than the rest, standing at around 8 feet tall. It’s head was dripping with a coagulated substance that marred most of its features. The once-human mutant had needles stuck into its back, it’s jaw cracked open and roared. Right at that moment, Viper saw Jett’s expression. It wasn’t that of a scared puppy anymore, but one of a psychopath._

_She dashed around the beast, slowly tearing him apart. With each ripped out limb and splatters of blood that dropped on the floor, Viper could practically hear it cry out in pain. She could hear it begging for help._

_I’m not a raging beast!_

_Please! I just wanna live!_

_Let me go! SHE’S THE MONSTER!_

_She’s killing off her friends, her only companions._ The chemist thought sadly. The very same companions that accompanied her in their jail cells. Viper saw them talking, laughing, wailing when one was taken away for experiments.

_Did Jett know it too?_

_“She might’ve known it once before, she may not have known it at all. What matters is now, where she ends their misery.” Judicator appeared from behind Sabine._

_It took all of Viper’s focus to not hiss at the despicable man._

_He had a smile that tugged on his lips, triumphant in his task._

_Hiding her distain for the man, the chemist looked back once more at the white-haired girl._

_Jett wore an invigorated smirk that was equal parts unnerving and upsetting. After the mutant died, she let out a laugh. A laughter that contained insanity, fear, triumph, everything. The laugh confirmed the worst suspicions that she had, and she knew that Kingdom was successful in crafting what they wanted._

***

Viper covered her face in her hands, replaying the horrific scenes in her mind. Sage could do nothing but put her hand on Viper’s shoulders as she took in this information slowly, but Sabine wasn’t finished.

“The worst part was Judicator’s sickening grin as they dragged the dead bodies away. He then personally whispered something before leaving, which I think was a personal taunt against me.

_“Thank you for the chemicals that you’ve provided for us, they were splendid in sedating our Hawk.”_

No way.

It was worse than Sage could ever imagine.

Quiet rage filled Sage to the core. It was all wrong! How can Kingdom be so despicable!? Knowing them, those mutants were likely other children forced in their cruel experiments! And they forced Jett to...She couldn’t finish her thought. Somehow, she felt guilty for not being able to know about this sooner. It only reminded her of a time before it all went wrong.

_Help us! Please, where are you Mirai?_

_They haven’t gotten back from the fields, it’s been three days!_

_The screams are coming from over there, we need to keep moving._

_RUN! DO NOT LOOK BACK!_

“Sage? You’re zoning out on me.”

Viper’s stern voice broke the healer out of her own thoughts.

“Ah, sorry about that. Please continue.” Sage tried to put on her best smile, which only caused more skepticism from Viper, who raised an eyebrow. She decided to change the subject.

“We need to do something about this. We cannot allow them to continue.” Sage’s tone hardened, her hands balled into fists. Viper leaned back and sighed.

“I might not be able to be the mole for much longer, as they are suspecting me for my actions. I need to relay this info to the rest of the protocol, it can’t be contained to just the two of us.” Viper said, getting up from her seat.

Sage nodded, wordless. Viper looked back at her, seeing the monk’s forlorn expression. “I know that you’re fond of her, that you want to help her. Maybe we still can, I promise.”

The healer looked up, hearing Viper’s words. “Never took you as the type to reassure someone.” She joked.

The chemist rolled her eyes. “People change, so long they’re given the chance. Maybe next time I won’t be so nice.”

And with that, Viper left her room. Once Sage saw her off, she sat on her couch. Sage replayed her time in Jett’s apartment. Why did Jett feel the need to keep her there in the first place, when she could’ve easily given her up right there and then? It was a mystery to her.

“Perhaps...she needed to let out her frustrations. But what was with the intimate contact?” She wondered. Her hands subconsciously went to her lips, and she couldn’t help but feel her head heat up at the memory. 

_So many questions, so little answers._

* * *

_“Hey Jett. Why does your drawing look like a disabled cow?”_

_“Oi! Shut up!” Jett snapped back, while her companion laughed. His laughs turned to wheezes, practically forcing him to curl up on the floor, his hands clutching his stomach._

_“Yours doesn’t look any better, Dylan.” Jett scoffed as she picked up his paper._

_“Looks like a monkey that had diarrhea.”_

_Dylan puffed up his chest in anger as he snatched his paper away. Beside them, another girl was still scribbling on her paper. “You Neanderthals really don’t understand anything about art. Both your drawings look like absolute shit.” She snickered as she examined both papers._

_“Oh shut it, Lilian. Not all of us are born as art prodigies like you.” Dylan muttered, to which Lilian laughed._

_“I’m kidding, they both look fine.” She smiled sweetly at the two. Jett saw the tiniest blush form on Dylan’s cheeks, making her hold back a giggle._

_“C’mon Dylan, don’t you have anything to say to that?” Jett prodded him, seeing him tense up his jaw in nervousness._

_“Thanks, I suppose. Yours looks great as well.” He said quietly, before punching Jett in the arm._

_It was Lilian’s turn to blush. “Of course! Thanks for...the nice words.”_

_Jett felt like a third wheel in between the two, to which she didn’t mind, but at the same time felt a small sense of bitterness. ‘I wish we became friends under normal circumstances.’ She thought sadly._

_Her eyes wandered towards her own wrists, where there were cuffs that are linked to chains bolted to the wall. Her accomplices also each had cuffs strapped onto their wrists, along with needle holes and hidden bruises that littered their bodies._

_How did it all come down to this?_

_Suddenly, loud footsteps came from beyond their cell. The three of them swiveled their heads towards the cacophony of footsteps. It didn’t take long before a soldier burst into the cell and immediately dragged Lilian away._

_“Let me go!” She snarled, desperately twitching and shaking violently in an attempt to free herself from their grip._

_“Stay still you little fucker, you’re going to the snake den tonight.” Their oily voice said sharply._

_Fear set into her eyes, causing her to cry for help. “NO! NOT THE SNAKE DEN, NOT THE SNAKE DEN!” She wailed._

_“Let her go! Take me instead!” Dylan was desperately pulling his chains in an attempt to break them off from the wall, to no avail. The soldier only laughed in response._

_“Don’t worry, little boy. Your turn will come soon.” He laughed as he pulled the girl away, locking the cell door behind him. Lilian’s cries got fainter beyond the door, but Jett could clearly still hear it in her head. Why couldn’t she do anything?_

_The next few days, Dylan stopped eating. He became a husk of his once-energetic self. When they came to take him, he stopped struggling, and gave in to their torture. Jett felt her own heart crack, was that going to happen to her?_

_Her answer came soon enough._

_One day, a tall, sleazy-looking man sauntered into her cell, eyeing her ragged white shirt and pants. He gave a smirk that Jett could only describe as wicked._

_“From now on, your new name will be Hawk. Welcome to Kingdom.”_

_***_

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Loud metallic thuds woke the assassin up from her weary dream/memory. She opened her eyes, and saw light that came from the space in between the cell bars. In the middle of the light stood a figure. They wore an assortment of purple and gold, and stared at her with piercing purple eyes.

“Wake up, you’re allowed 30 minutes of free time. Do anything stupid, and you’re dead to us.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll be watching you.” Reyna said before typing a passcode onto a computer pad that slid the cell bars from their positions. “I’ll be leading you to the yard where you can get fresh air, for whatever reason.” The empress muttered, clearly not interested in babysitting the Korean.

“Whatever you say. Hope you can keep up.” Jett gave a fake smile, feigning gratitude. Reyna rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry, I don’t like you. If I see you try anything remotely stupid, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your skull.” She threatened.

“Feeling’s mutual. Just show me where the yard is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You okay there, Sabine? You look like you've seen a monster :0
> 
> Uh I have a Twitter and Instagram where I post art: @flowerman6666 (shameless plug I know. Too bad I might accidentally dox myself to my friends if I reveal myself.)
> 
> Music I listened to:  
> Auditory hallucination- FunGuyPiano  
> Summer in my heart-Eric chiryoku  
> Wu ji- Hai Lin  
> Poison-Shoji_Music  
> Poker face-Lico ft.이앤 E. Ann  
> Breaking-Lico ft. 박세라 Park Sera


	16. 🧸

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 爹爹，我很想你。

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “How do you do it? How are you so numb to pain?”
> 
> “I wonder that myself. But I guess.....”
> 
> “.It’s because I am told to stay strong. So I will.”

_Tell me Mirai, what do you think makes a person strong?”_

_The young girl, no older than 11 years at the time thought with a pensive expression on her face._

_“Being able to lift something heavy?” She wondered aloud. To this, her elder smiled._

_“True. You are not wrong in that aspect, but strength comes in all sorts of ways.” He said wisely. Mirai tilted her head to the side._

_“What sorts of ways?” She asked, confusion lining her eyebrows._

_“Let’s assume that a person has gone through a life-changing event. For example, their parents are gone, and they are left all alone.”_

_“So, they live off the streets trying to survive. And of course, that comes with a great burden in itself.” The elder stroked his beard, while Mirai took in his words._

_“I guess that would make sense, seeing as one’s strength is determined by one’s willingness to live, even through unpredictable circumstances.”_

_“Remember this Mirai, for every action a person does, there is always a motive, even if they claim that there is no motive. That motive, it is all for the sake of happiness. To be happy is the ultimate goal, and to achieve such a thought, you must stay strong in your own morals.” The elder said sternly. Mirai listened to every single word, and took it to heart._

_The elder was someone she truly respected, and because of him, she overcame many problems and deep thoughts._

_“Keep something in your heart, something to stand by. Or else, you will lose yourself to unforeseen circumstances, do you understand?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Good. Now let’s go inside, it’s getting quite chilly out here.” The elder said, pulling Mirai’s hand towards their home._

_It was a small townhouse that sat in the middle of the valley of flowers, the sun setting it’s rays through the greenery._

_“Do you think there will ever be a chance where one person’s happiness is another’s despair?” Mirai murmured. The elder looked down at her with a sad glint in his eyes._

_“Unfortunately, not everyone experiences good. There are selfish people out there, who use their greed to destroy any chance of equality. It is in your best interest of heart to not sympathize for these people should they tell you how they got there in the first place.”_

_“And why is that?” Mirai asked, now completely confused._

_“If someone had all these faults of their own, if they truly wanted to change, they would do it through actions. Should they continue to do these heinous crimes against humanity, it doesn’t change the fact that they did them. Sympathy is one thing, forgiveness is another.”_

_“Don’t be swayed by those who try to pull you down. Stay strong, Mirai.”_

_She looked up at him, who looked back at her with strict eyes. She finally nodded._

_“Okay grandpa. I will.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small backstory, will post more like normal. Have fun speculating what comes next (:
> 
> Kindred, the eternal hunters login theme - league of legends   
> Zui Meng- Hai Lin  
> What about you - Kim Chung Hyun   
> Blurry Line - Sophism


	17. Forensic Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GRAAAAAHHHHHHHH AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAH
> 
> I AM ALIVE HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
> 
> Snuck in a reference from Dreamfang's fic here, see if you can find it ;)

“Breach, I’m not saying that we should abandon your idea of training, but maybe we shouldn’t give the bots rocket launchers as part of our practice.”

“Aw come on! Don’t be a bunch of wimps, this would be perfect in the case of a life or death situation. After all, if you’re not getting shot, then you’re obviously doing something wrong!”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’ve got metal arms that obviously will repel bullets.”

“Our captain’s got a point. Anarchy is fun and all, but it can get really messy. Also, I don’t think Sage will appreciate resurrecting us from training accidents alone.”

“You are not wrong, Viper. It would really be a shame to increase my mental strain like this.”

Skye walked in the meeting room to listen to the two men bantering away, and chuckled at the agents that gathered around, as they were attending the meeting that was called. The original conversation was something about improving the accuracy of the AI to start aiming for their heads instead of the torso and legs.

“Please Breach, I really don’t want Daddy Brimothy to dish out punishments for destroying the entire base through your idea.” Killjoy muttered as she pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. To this, a good chunk of the agents already there let out cheers of laugher and a bunch of “oooooos”

“First of all, those punishments are well deserved. You little jackasses keep tampering with all of our gear.” The old captain’s gaze drifted through the agents, pointedly looking at Killjoy, Raze and Phoenix.

“Second of all, don’t call me that Killjoy. You are to speak to me with respect and authority.” Brimstone tried his best to give a stern glare, but it’s intended message was lost to scoffs and chuckles.

“KJ’s got a point. As much as I love explosions, I legit do not want to be set for another round of cleaning up debris from...certain knuckleheads who have tendencies to make them.” Phoenix laughed, her words obviously implicating their one and only warhead. To this, Raze punched his arm.

“PFFT. If you’re talking about that time in Split, it ain’t my fault that you blinded all of us with your stupid flashes.” She snickered.

Besides the two duelists, Skye could see the other agents that were also present, but were engaged in their own conversations. Skye noticed Sage looking elsewhere, seemingly detached from the rest of the group.

“Hey mate, you alright?” She asked, concerned. Sage looked up, and smiled tiredly.

“I am fine. It is simply exhausting to think about how many more people I am going to have to patch up. We have some...extremely reckless members.” She sighed as she looked over at the other agents, who were now throwing rock, paper, scissors at each other.

Unfortunately for Sage, Skye was more observant than she seemed, despite her often saying that she was not used to working with humans. But the initiator decided to hold off on the questions for now.

“Hahaha! Yeah this team is chaotic alright. But I must admit, I’d join in on y’alls shenanigans anyday.” She stroked her bird friend, who chirped happily at the contact. Sage’s eyes lit up at the sight of the wooden bird, Skye ducking down to grant the healer’s silent wish. Grateful, the healer stroked the bird’s wooden head and leafy feathers.

“Well, in any case, I’m glad to have another healer in the team. Viper is not really one to patch up people anymore, and there will be more joining our cause soon. I know I can trust you to at least patch up a bullet wound or two.” Sage winked at the Aussie.

“Of course! After all, you’re the one who convinced me to join you guys in the first place.Couldnèt say no to the exclusive offer!” She chirped. To this, Sage nodded in agreement.

As Skye took her seat at the table beside the healer, Brimstone suddenly jumped up from a loud sound.

“Uh...Killjoy? Why is the program emitting musical tones from the speakers attached to the computer?” Brimstone asked, flabbergasted at the high pitched rapid dubstep beats that resonated throughout the room. He noticed a look of recognition of the sound in the German’s eyes, but she said nothing, hiding a small smirk behind her gloved hands.

“It sounds quite interesting, what song is it?” Cypher asked as he slightly nodded his head to the rhythm. Killjoy, Raze and Phoenix giggled at his obliviousness, while Omen gave a disgruntled sigh.

“It's a remix of Rockefeller Street. I think it’s the...what did they call it….the Nightcore version? I can’t believe people still remember this old song.” He muttered while watching Killjoy fumble with the software. Cypher got up to help her, while the music continuously blasted, causing Raze to howl in laughter.

“ONE, TWO, SEVEN, THREE, DOWN THE ROCKEFELLER STREET!” She wheezed. The rest of the members looked at her in amused and perplexed confusion.

“Phoenix, what is she chanting about?” Sova asked as she looked at the brazillian who bopped her head to the fast tempo of the beat.

“It’s a dead joke from back in the days. I’m not sure how Raze managed to get a copy of the song.” Phoenix sheepishly clarified. Nods of understanding were returned, except Raze added something extra.

“PLEASE. I STOLE ME THE USB THROUGH THE BLACK MARKET. I JUST HAD TO HONOR THIS TREASURE SOMEHOW!” She added while wiping a tear. However, the mention of the black market caught Breach’s attention.

“Wait, where did you get the USB? Which faction?” Breach asked the warhead, who recovered from her laughing fit. Her expression turned serious.

“It was in New Mexico, where we freed the radiant children from Kingdom’s troops at the time. As I was scuffling around the property, I noticed a few people off to the side. From their conversations, I knew they were part of the kidnapping rings that Kingdom is running.”

“Wait, why did you not inform us of this? They could’ve seen your face.” Sage asked. Raze flinched. 

“Well, I didn’t kill them. All I did was pick their pockets and steal their phones. Killjoy was the one who found this song in their hard drives, and I begged her to make a copy before we smashed the phones. Dunno why those sickos would have liked a song like this, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

“Hey! Don’t bring me into this! She threatened to hijack my robots if I didn’t comply.” Killjoy hollered from the other side. However, Brimstone took up this opportunity to bring up his original point.

“Speaking of kidnapping rings, we all have another mission coming up!” Brimstone’s voice boomed from the front. Everyone’s heads swiveled towards the commander.

“While we are on the topic, our resident spy and chemist has obtained some new information from the inside of Kingdom. Viper, the spotlight is yours.” Brimstone stated as all heads directed towards her. Viper made her way to the front, where she relayed everything she said to the healer to the rest of her team.

However, she added some extra information on the man behind the operations.

“Judicator. One of the men in charge. I found out that he is getting his funds from mob gangs all over the world. One example is in Seoul, where I learned that he had received a cheque of over five hundred thousand dollars worth of money. More lab rooms were built for the sake of their experiments with radianite.”

“Of course, Kingdom has full control over the media and the authorities, meaning we can’t outright expose these countless atrocities that they’ve been performing under the guise of a ‘company that handles the progression of the future.’”

“Certainly doesn’t help if they send hits out towards people who are trying to speak up.” Sova commented.

“Exactly. In fact, they’ve already put out hits on you guys. 500k creds to anyone who can turn any one of us in, alive or dead. If anything, we need to find a way to sway the public to resent them before we make any moves.” Viper concluded. She then went through a slideshow that showed pictures of the new labs being implemented, as well as the crates of radianite that were stored. Within those pictures, Judicator was seen checking in on the employees that worked there.

He had white hair, pale skin, and cunning red eyes. _An albino human with a rare complexion._ Sage thought to herself, but she knew that everyone was presumably thinking the same thing. He may have even been considered as a beautiful man. But for what it was worth, any human can hide under a smiling mask to hide their true motives. 

“He’s the one who is also in charge of experimentations regarding radiants. Including children.” Viper stated with such cold disdain in her voice that it may have frozen the room entirely.

While it wasn’t uncommon for Viper to be naturally snarky, it was rare for her to speak with so much poison towards a single person.

And considering her dark circumstances, it would not be farfetched for one to assume so.

“Let me guess, you’re working under this pitiful critura at their HQ?” Reyna piped up, some form of hostility evident in her amethyst eyes. Viper nodded mutely in response.

“He may look weak, but I can assure you that his mind works on a different level. In fact, I’m almost 100 percent certain that he suspects me as part of VALORANT.”

Silence followed. All the agents were stunned to the point where Viper could hear the gears turning in their heads.

Reyna had an especially pensive look in her eyes, which was rare to say the least. Most of the time she just killed in cold blood, and disregarded the lives she took. It was an understatement to say that she was a sociopath at times.

Then again, Viper also loved the sociopath. With no regrets.

“Maybe we can coax something out of the hawk we caught.” Breach offered. Everyone tilted their heads towards the Swede.

“Perhaps, she’s their best assassin to date, I’m sure she’s got info on them. Plus, I don’t think she enjoys being locked up all the time. Maybe we can show her that we aren’t all bad.” Cypher mused. Following this statement, all the agents looked towards Sage, who wanted to shrink under the floorboards from their gazes.

“Why are all of you looking at me like that?” 

“Well, she seems to fancy you out of all of us. Maybe you could ask her about this man?” Sova asked, looking at her with a kind smile.

Sage panned through every single one of them, their eyes hopeful in her decision. However, she felt very skeptical, after learning a bit more about the korean beforehand.

“I had a small chat with her, to say the least. I do not think this is the best time to ask her.” She murmured, eyes downcast. She was quiet for a moment, carefully choosing her next words.

“I know that based on the implications she has already told me, she has suffered through years of abuse, experiments and gaslighting from her superiors. One of them could have possibly been Judicator. I do not think she has had...the best influences around her.”

“Fear works wonders on a young mind. They most likely have beaten something into her for her to lash out the way she currently does.” Omen speculated, his gravelly voice lower than usual.

…

…

... 

“I have an idea. Why don’t we show her what it’s like to live normally?” Raze piped up. All the agents looked at her in confusion.

“Izzy, you know that we don’t exactly live normal lives either. We are trying to stop a giant corporation that wants us all dead.” Cypher deadpans. Most nodded in mute agreement.

“But to be fair, she’s got a point. Even if some of us are chaotic, at least we don’t treat each other like scum _all_ the time. Maybe Hawk has yet to know what it’s like to live with level-headed people. Plus, I’m sure she’ll like my birdies.” Skye said, her wooded friend letting out another chirp in response.

“Exactly! Who knows, she could be my sister from another mister! I know for a fact that I wouldn’t want to be locked up in a cell, all alone.” Raze pouted, everyone looking at her while slowly nodding in agreement.

“How can we be sure that she won’t go scurrying back to them?” Breach asked.

“I’m pretty sure she’s already dead to them. We can let her explore some other parts of the public, accompanied by two agents to make sure we don’t lose her to any of their spies. This way, we can at least keep an eye on her. Plus, I’ve been meaning to try out the nanochip that I designed with Cypher.” Killjoy explained, lifting up the finalized product.

It was a small, pink nanochip. When she pressed a single button, it flashed blue with a small blip sound.

“It’ll let us know her location at all times, as well as having a detaining feature should she cause us problems.” Killjoy explained.

“That will surely help us make sure Hawk doesn’t try anything. Great job guys!” Skye said, patting both geniuses on their shoulders. Cypher nodded, and Killjoy muttered something along the lines of “t-thanks.”

However, Viper wasn’t as on board with this idea.

“I get the sentiment and all, but I am not going to allow it.” She said flatly. The team looked back towards her, figurative question marks evidently popping up from their skulls.

“Huh? Why not?” Phoenix asked, scratching his head. 

“You all forgot one important factor: that she is Kingdom’s best assassin. Must I need to emphasize the fact that because she has not reported back to them, they will be on high alert from now on?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” the brit asked, confused at the chemist’s implications. Viper could only sigh, but Reyna mercifully filled the gaps.

“What she means is that Kingdom will be expecting us to make moves now, and this could be a serious threat to our cause as a whole. Should we choose to somehow reveal that we have Jett now, it could only mean that Kingdom will try whatever they can to bring her back.” Reyna explained, amused at Phoenix’s dumbstruck face and Viper’s relieved sigh from knowing that _at least_ one person knew what she was talking about.

“That is very true. I think the best course of action is to keep her here for a few months and take our situation slowly. I know most of you sympathize with her situation, but we can’t risk our chances. Remember, this is Kingdom, and they are very much ruthless.” Brimstone stated.

“For now, we need to focus our attention to Icebox, where there is a new shipment of radianite due to come up onto the shores. You all know the drill, disable the radiante with the spike. Who will be able to go?” 

“Icebox is in my homeland. I am willing to go and take it back.” Sova raised his hand.

“The cold’s got nothing on the heat that I bring.” Phoenix snapped his fingers, emphasizing on his statement with a ball of fire procured in his palm.

“I can go. I have recovered, and I’m sure we’ll need someone to heal the team should things go wrong.” Sage volunteered.

“Very well, you three may go. We will still need two more agents for safety. Anyone else?” The commander asked. The rest of the agents were silent, obviously not willing to go to an area that could freeze them all to death.

In a curious turn of events however, Omen spoke up.

“I will go, if no one else will.” He grumbled, his shadows twitchy from nervousness. Brimstone nodded at his bravery.

“One more person. It’s just the icy wind, nothing more.” Brimstone chided. 

...

...

…

…

…

“Okay fine, I will go. I’ve been curious about the secrets that they’ve been keeping there.” Cypher sighed.

“Alright, that’s set then. You five will be deployed at Icebox two days from now, take the time to prepare yourselves now. Dismissed.”

And with that, each agent left the room, one by one. However, when Phoenix and Raze were about to leave, Brimstone stopped them.

“You two, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“Sure man, what is it?” Phoenix asked, turning around. 

“We have ourselves a new recruit coming in. You mind showing him around?” Brimstone asked. Raze’s eyes lit up at the thought.

“A new member to add to the familia? Sign me up! When can we meet him?” She asked excitedly. 

“Today actually. He’s arriving soon, so be ready in about 20 minutes. Don’t be late from choosing what to wear, Phoenix.” Brimstone jokes. Phoenix scoffed at this.

“Don’t worry commander, I’ll just stick to my fancy jacket.”

“I can’t wait to meet him!” Raze cheered.

***

“Sir, it’s been almost a week, and we haven’t heard anything from Hawk. What’s going on?”

The assistant gazed at the backside of the office chair, the office being shrouded in almost complete darkness, save for a computer screen that was behind the chair, lighting a small part of the man’s face.

“It’s a strange situation, that is for certain. Of all of our capable hunters, she’s the best of the best. And yet, she’s the first to go missing.” He mused.

“You don’t seem to be bothered by this, may I ask why?”

The chair swiveled to reveal a man with a pale complexion, light hair, and cherry-red eyes. He glanced at his assistant with a look that she certainly did not expect. If anything, the fact that he was _smiling_ was already making her skeptic.

“Sasha, you must understand that Hawk would never disobey me without a motive of her own. Remember that she kept one of the VALORANT agents in her apartment for a good while. She did not know it, but she was under active surveillance for quite some time.” 

“I was merciful enough to let her have her fun. I certainly would’ve punished her the moment her time was up. Of course, the agents came and whisked her away to their base. How irritating that they managed to disable the tracking chip on her.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. The man looked tired, but did not radiate tired energy. If anything, he looked pensive, like playing a game of chess.

“Shall I send a search warrant for her?” Sasha asked politely.

“No need. Our newest batch of radianite is coming up in our base in Icebox, correct?” Judicator asked.

“Yes sir. It will arrive in approximately 2 days from now.” Sasha replied.

“Perfect. Send a request for more of the Devil’s tongue that was designed by Sabine. We will need to show our hospitality. After this, you are dismissed.” He said, smirking.

“ Yes sir.” Sasha replied quietly before leaving. Judicator swiveled back to the screen in front of him, and pulled up a picture of a white-haired woman carrying another woman with long black hair and white robes.

“I guess I am no longer the person that fills your mind, Hawk. Fear not, I will fix that.” He smiled as he raised the bounty on Sage to 800k creds. He changed the bounty description.

tap. 

tap.

tap.

To anyone who can bring us the healer, **alive or dead.** Preferably **alive.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you guys for being so patient with me. To simply put it, I didn't have the best time leading up to the holidays, and I felt empty during the break that followed.
> 
> That didn't stop me from re-reading your kind comments and fics posted, and I'm finally glad to push this chapter out. 
> 
> I'm so sorry for ditching you guys without warning, and I'm glad to see that you guys enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> Levan Polka-Bilal Göregen  
> Good Morning!-Sophism  
> Rockefeller Street-Nightcore remix  
> Awaken my pop/stars-Pluffaduff
> 
> (Iamsosorryinadvancebtw-)
> 
> Scream at me in the comments below


	18. Melancholy Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bing Bong Bingly Bongly boooooo

“Sova, how do you survive here? I am becoming a human popsicle.” 

“The perks of having Russia as your motherland I suppose. I’m used to it.”

As the agents were scouting out the site, Sova and Cypher engaged in their own conversations. Poor Cypher was trembling despite wearing his jacket, trying to keep his hands steady as he set up his cameras.

“Too bad you guys don’t have the power to heat yourselves up. I’m all the way over here with my own built in heater.” Phoenix chuckled over the intercom.

“I don’t feel cold. But the atmosphere here definitely hinders my ability to shoot.” Omen muttered.

“Focus on the mission. We do not know when they will show up.” Sage interrupted as she slowly walked around another crate. The harsh winds weaved through the radianite crates, causing her to involuntarily shiver.

It had been almost a week since the entire fiasco and with the current containment of Jett. She seemed to be adjusting well to her situation. Surprisingly, she had not caused a lot of trouble while they were handling her.

There were a couple of times where she would badmouth the other agents, often sneering at a few. Sometimes they would roll their eyes at her, other times they would lash out. Sage had to often come in between before the tension became too thick. As a result, the agents still do not trust her.

Sage does not blame them.

Regardless, Jett would be a valuable asset to them. They just needed time.

“Hey uh….buncha guys here!”

The sudden warning caught their attention. Gunshots were heard.

“Phoenix! Where are you?” Sage called, snapping her attention towards the noise. She ran towards the sounds of shooting, carefully aiming her gun upwards as she quietly walked around the corners. She saw Sova shoot a recon dart that stuck to a wall, effectively revealing the enemies nearby. There were several soldiers that closed in on the site, running into Cypher’s tripwires and Sova’s shock darts.

“NOWHERE TO RUN!” Sova’s voice echoed, signifying that he was about to go all out. The archer let out a devastating torrent of electrical energy from his bow, tearing through Kingdom’s ranks. Cries were heard as Omen smoked every place off, muffling their vision and letting them fall. 

Still, it was a slow process as they kept coming. Phoenix had opted to burn them with his flame walls and curveballs. Cypher stayed back and kept his intel safe by casually tapping heads on intruders who got too close.

“Ugh, where’s Brimstone when you need him? I bet he could obliterate them all in one go.” Cypher murmured as a few more bullets fired out of his vandal.

“I will retreat back to the site! Phoenix, rotate west from your position!” Sage commanded. She shot two more rounds at two soldiers, effectively putting them to their eternal rest.

She rounded the corner, where she hid behind a crate to fire at the remaining people.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Sage whirled around, only to be met by a moving projectile that was smashed over her head. Invisible deadly gas swirled into her lungs as she choked.

“Argh!” Sage grunted as she drilled the bullets into their abdomen. The soldier fell back with a pained grunt. Despite all that, Sage felt her world spinning. Two arms reached out and caught her before she fell, holding her steady in the air. Despite this, her mind was slowly fading out of consciousness, and her knees buckled from gravity. 

“Shhhhhhhhhhh, go to sleep. Everything will feel better in the morning.” A sultry voice reassured softly. A gloved hand gently wiped the river of blood from her skull. 

And just like that, despite the dire situation that she was in, all her restraints disappeared. She felt calm, and had the desire to follow the voice’s orders.

The healer closed her eyes, and felt herself drift away. The last thing she saw was two scheming red irises staring back at her, before melting into blackness.

*** 

The spike was due to blow up soon. Phoenix’s flames blocked off the main line of sight from the enemies. Anyone that tried to trespass was to be met with gunfire. The agents retreated as it blew up, covering the area in a pitch-black field. 

“Nice work you guys. For once, you didn’t mess the rest of us up.” Sova jokes, nudging Phoenix’s shoulder.

“Hey, y’all know that I have every right to brag when I want to. Besides, it was their fault that they had to deal with the boss of this mission.” Phoenix bragged.

Despite the favorable outcome of their mission, something felt off. 

Their victory came too easily.

Omen was the first to notice.

“Hey, where’s the radianite healer?” Omen growled, turning his head around. He peered at the site they had just left behind, his bandages twitchy with masked nervousness.

“Sage? Sage, report!” Cypher accessed Sage’s earpiece, only to be met with a chuckle on the other end that was definitely not hers.

“VALORANT fools, simple-minded as always. Don’t worry, your precious radiant is here with me, I will take very good care of her.” The voice responded. Cypher did not need to see the man on the other side to know that he was smirking at their loss.

“Who are you? What have you done with her?!” Cypher’s voice burned with anger. A low scoff only came back in return.

“I simply want my precious Hawk back. You took something from me, therefore it was only right that I took something of equal value. Of course, I am willing to make a trade. The choice is yours.” The man on the other end started nonchalantly, but his ending statement made Cypher’s blood run cold.

“By the way, give my regards to Sabine. Her poisons were very helpful in subduing the healer. She followed my every command, just like the assassin did. Think about my offer, information broker.”

And with that, the connection cut. Cypher slowly lowered his hand, his mind trying to process what happened. He snapped back to reality when a clawed hand grabbed his shoulder.

“What is it? What did that man say?” Omen rumbled. Cypher pinched the bridge of his mask.

“They have her. They want Jett back, and are using Sage as leverage. We need to get out of here before they follow us back to base.” He said.

“Let us make haste, we must make sure that they do not trace us back. I suspect that all their eyes are on us now..” Sova whispered, his bionic eye scanned for possible snipers. Sure enough, he picked up on one rifle resting on the ledge of the watchtower, the scope evidently pointed at their heads.

“Block off their vision, use everything we have left.” Sova commanded.

* * *

_ “We can’t save them all Sage. We can only save what we can.” Brimstone said, his expression softening at Sage’s tightened jaw. _

_ She sighed, and nodded. They proceeded forward through the ruins, searching for any potential survivors from a recent radianite explosion. _

_ Shuffling through the rubble, Sage picked up on movement from the far left. Signaling Brimstone to follow her, she slowly made her way towards the source of the noise. _

_ As the sentinel closed in, she heard quiet sobs. Sniffles of pain. Behind a wrecked crate was a girl. She looked to be about 11-12 years old. Her back was turned, but Sage saw the bloodstains that marred her shirt.  _

_ The girl was crouched over the body of another man, who was already dead, judging by the turquoise essence that spilled out of him. _

_ Of course, only Sage would know, because she was the only one who could see it. _

_ The girl turned her head, revealing her pale, flushed face to her.  _

_ “Who are you? What more could you possibly want from us.” She snarled, lifting her pistol and aiming it at Sage’s forehead. _

_ “Wait, I believe that you are mistaken.” Sage said, lowering her gun slightly, but not completely. She did not want to seem like she was a threat. _

_ The girl evidently did not want to shoot, as she was trembling. Her hands only gripped the pistol tighter as the sentinel walked forward. _

_ “We are here to help, to protect those in need. I am here to aid you in your injuries.” She said solemnly. The girl looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. _

_ “N-No! Y-you are what is wrong with the world! Y-You guys are terrorists who give Kingdom a reason to suspect us w-when we’ve done n-nothing! Give me one good reason w-why I shouldn’t kill you now!” She threatened, her voice shaking as her gun trembled in her hands. _

_ Sage only could sigh as she gave the girl a pitying look. The amount of propaganda and manipulation she has gone through, not to mention Kingdom’s influence on a child’s mind. _

_ “We do not choose to harm innocent people. We are here because of Kingdom’s tyranny. Many of us in the Protocol have been hurt by their actions, and we are here to send a message.” She said softly. The girl’s eyes slowly filled with tears as she shook them away. _

_ “T-They came to our h-home. Armored m-men that a-accused u-us of h-helping you g-guys. My father, h-he p-protested, and they shot h-him! M-my brother and I fled, until they-“ The girl’s voice cracked, signaling her despair once more.  _

_ Sage was surprised at hearing this. Crap, how was she not aware of this? And now, her heart ached even more at the sight of the trembling girl. _

_ “I know. They are scared because they’ve gone a long time doing harm to others. Their expansion is too great, and we’ve had to rescue countless people who have been cast to the outer edges.” Sage said softly.  _

_ “We do not condone these actions. We are people who want what is best for humanity. VALORANT does not wish to harm you, or your family.” _

_ A moment passed. The girl lowered her gun, and coughed. Her breaths became heavy. Sage bolted towards her as she fell towards the ground, catching her before she hit her head. _

_ “Miss, I-haaah….I’m so tired…” She wheezed. Her breaths were becoming more and more strained. Sage’s movements became more frantic as she lifted the girl in her arms. _

_ “My family….they were paying...for my...treatment. And when...the bills became too expensive….haahgk….” she choked, coughing out blood. _

_ “Do not force yourself, you will hurt yourself if you continue to try and speak. Help is on the way.” Sage’s voice was calm, but concerned panic was evident on her face. _

_ “Please….I’m so...tired. I...want to sleep..” she wheezed, tears leaking out of her eyes. _

_ “Will you sing me to sleep….? My...mama...used to….sing such...beautiful songs…” she pleaded.  _

_ Sage looked at the girl’s dying eyes, and stopped walking. She could not stop the bile that formed in her mouth. Even if they managed to save the girl, she had already lost everything. _

  
  


_ All because of VALORANT’s existence. _

  
  


_ “Okay. I cannot guarantee that my voice will be the best, but I will try.” She smiled painfully at the girl.  _

_ The 12 year old smiled back, as if to say: your voice is beautiful enough in my ears. _

_ Sage gently rocked the girl in her arms, and hummed a gentle tune. One that was very special to her, sung by her loved ones years ago. _

_ “When the night is falling… and you have lost your way. When the rain is storming, and your world’s turned to grey…” _

_ “When the woes await outside, and you feel like you’ve nowhere to hide, oh don’t you worry, just remember. Remember when I said…” _

_ “Darling close your weary eyes,  everything will be fine….Let the breeze wipe away your tears,  there is no need to cry..” _

__

_ Her eyes dulled as she shifted slowly in Sage’s arms. Her hands clasped over her chest, looking relaxed as her life slowly trickled away. The nearby sounds of moving water lulled the two ladies into a gentle headspace under the moonlight that illuminated the grim place. _

__

_ “You can lay down no one will hurt you, let your fears be carried by the streams. The twilight gleam watches over you, let this lullaby guide your dreams.” _

__

_ “And when the morning rises, I shall be by your side.”  _

__

_ The girl let out one last breath, before closing her eyes, falling to her inevitable endless slumber. _

__

_ Sage hummed the last bits, but her mood was anything but happy. _

_  
  
  
_

_ All she felt was guilt, grief, sympathy, and loss. For every life they saved, she felt a piece of herself tear away from her humanity. After all, it was wrong to defy the laws of nature, and the laws of death. _

__

_ Yet ironically, the lives who she could not save often joined the cacophony of voices that haunted her every night. Both sides stayed inside her mind, forever pleading for eternal rest and fair rules. _

__

_ The sentinel laid the girl on the cold ground, her body motionless. Turquoise essence spilled out of her corpse, but Sage knew better. It would not be possible to revive the girl without also reviving her condition, forcing another cycle of torture. _

__

_ “Sage?” _

__

_ “Commander. What more could I do? I have the power to save those who need my aid, yet it only gives me more guilt to those that I cannot.” Her voice was shaky, barely above a low whisper. _

__

_ “It’s not your fault, Mirai. This will happen a lot, and I know it’s hard, but you have to let them go. I’m sure she’s in a better place now.” he said softly. Sage let out a grim sigh, and covered the corpse with the gravel that accumulated from a previous incident.  _

__

_ “Her family was killed because of us.” She muttered. Brimstone put a hand on her shoulder. _

__

_ “Indirectly. Kingdom is using us as an excuse for their actions. I promise that they will get what’s coming to them. Promise.” _

__

_ He looked at her with warm eyes, and smiled. She did the same. _

__

_ “Thanks commander. I guess you really are a true leader.” She chuckled. _

__

_ “The leaders have to look out for each other. After all, you are our second-in-command. Should anything go wrong, we have you.” _

__

_ “Well in any case, someone needs to take care of the troublemakers. We are seriously losing our years over them.” She pinched the bridge of her nose as thoughts of Phoenix and Raze popped up in her head. _

__

_ To this, Brimstone let out a laugh as they made their way back to the jet. But the whispers never left Sage, and she could only keep reminding herself:  _

__

_ We can’t save them all. We only save what we can. _

***

Her eyes opened to a dimly lit room. There was a considerable stiffness to her legs and her wrists. Her mind was still foggy as her thoughts slowly came together. She turned her head around, analyzing her surroundings.

_ I must’ve been drugged from our last mission. All I remember is getting smashed over with a capsule. _

“Did you have a good rest?”

Sage looked up, and saw his red eyes and white hair. She internally sighed. Of all the people she wanted to see after waking up from a terrible memory, he was the last.

“Judicator.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fall Out Boy - Immortals  
> Without you- Shoji_music  
> Take Over-League of legends (ft. Jeremy McKinnon (A Day To Remember), MAX, Henry)  
> Yone, The Unforgotten Champion Theme - league of legends  
> The lullaby-Sophism  
> Zui Meng - Hai Lin  
> Our tragedies-Sophism
> 
> Zui Meng means Drunken dream in English :)
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


	19. Troublesome Epiphanies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haunted past-Sophism  
> Without you-Shoji_music  
> Dangerous woman-Rosenfeld   
> Une promenade-Sophism  
> Tidecaller-league of legends   
> Jhin login theme-league of legends

Judicator.”

Still groggy from her state of unconsciousness, her peripherals slowly focused on the man in front of her. He had an assortment of heavy duty tools right next to him, including wire clippers, needles and a drill.

“What do you want?” Sage asked coldly. if the things Sabine said were true, then she had to be cautious with her answers in front of this man.

“Straight to the point. You’ve saved me a few seconds on introducing myself.” 

“I know who you are, you sick bastard.” Sage hissed. Judicator only smiled through the insult, seemingly unfazed.

“They weren’t wrong when they said you had a steel tongue. Would really be a shame if we removed it.” He said casually, turning to what looked like a metal harness on the table. 

He lifted the collar, and strapped it onto her neck. Immediately after the collar made contact, Sage felt a part of herself blocked off. The once-prominent feeling of life was now cut, and she felt weaker than she already was.

“I will cut to the chase. What did you do to my precious Hawk?” He asked, pulling up a controller. The threat was obvious. Tell a single lie, get electrocuted.

“She is away from you. That’s all that matters.” Sage replied coldly. She wouldn’t break that easily, not like this.

“Ignorant as always, you think you’re doing her a favor, don’t you?” His eyes glazed over her, his demeanor slowly turning dark.

“I will show you what happens when my orders are disobeyed.”

And with that statement, he pressed a button, activating the collar. Electricity tore through her limbs, burning through the tissue. She felt herself tense up, pain shredding her limbs.

Deja vu. How bittersweet.

“Where is VALORANT hiding?” His voice taunted her. However, all Sage could think about was the pain. White flashes surged through her peripherals as she twitched and struggled. It hurt to even breathe.

“You will get nothing from me!” She growled, gritting her teeth as she tightened her nerves. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the collar stopped vibrating. 

Sage gasped for air, recovering from the shock. Judicator sat next to her, and jabbed a needle to her wrist, draining some blood from her veins. Afterwards, the man got up and gently wiped away the rest of the blood, covering the wound with a cotton ball.

“Very well then. Your answer will not matter in the long run. Let us get on with the more important questions.” He grinned wickedly as he signaled for one of the guards on the side. They nodded, and wheeled in what looked like a hospital bed. A large, dense mass was under the white sheets. 

Sage stared at it, unsure of what was under the blankets. She especially did not like Judicator’s calm and collected appearance as he lifted the sheets. 

On the bed, there was a single child who had what looked like bruises and scars that littered his body. His upper torso had cuts that leaked crimson. 

There was an oozing green substance that mixed with the wounds, which Sage recognized as radianite.

“The poor child is clinging onto his last thread of life. We have tried many ways to help him with his illness, but alas, it all comes down to you.” Judicator said, almost mockingly. 

Sage bit back her anger. She had to stay calm. It was very obvious that the poor kid had suffered through an intense beating and brutal punishments. The lie was so transparent that it was borderline comical.

Not that there was anything humorous about this situation. Especially not when it comes down to children’s lives at stake here.

“Perhaps you can help him. That is, if you are willing to show us your capabilities at all.” Judicator taunted, twirling a pen in his fingers.

Waiting patiently for her answer.

Sage thought long and hard. The guilt that she harbored in her heart as she looked at the kid. Judicator’s sickening grin and nonchalant eyes were bothering her to a great degree, but the sentinel knew better.

The guilt and weight of letting one more die at her choice. The thought would eat her alive.

“Fine. But you will have to untie me.” She steeled her voice.

“I knew we could come to an understanding. Don’t think of trying anything funny.”

One guard walked up behind her chair and slowly untied the chains, unlocked her bonds, and released the ankle bars from her limbs. There was a stun gun that was aimed at her while this occurred.

The amount of precautions that Kingdom took. Laughable.

Once her bonds were released, she stumbled up to the child. The guards had their guns pointed to her at all times, meaning she wouldn’t have been able to escape regardless.

With shaking hands, she summoned a glowing turquoise orb and held it in front of her. Sage swore that she could’ve heard some gasps and muffled scribbles from behind her.

Ignoring that thought, she poured the essence into the child’s body, letting the soft glow of the orb seep gently into the wounds. They gradually began to close, and the child let out a refreshed sigh in his coma.

“How do your crystalline orbs function?” Judicator asked, notepad in his hands. His eyes were locked onto the boy, seeing the essence that now completely healed the wounds.

.

.

.

.

.

Silence. Sage tightened her jaw, trying her best to think of an answer that would not give away too much information.

.

.

**Zap!**

A shock went through her left ankle, causing it to become painfully numb. Sage stumbled as her muscles temporarily gave out, and met Judicator’s expectant gaze.

A sigh of disappointment. And for some reason, Sage felt a tiny stab of….

What could she call it? Guilt? For defying this man?

Impossible.

She would never, ever forgive him, or anyone in this pyramid scheme of anything.

That being said, she had to say something.

“For a certain amount of time, the hearing orb can restore previous injuries back to the initial healthy state of the body.” Sage replied bluntly, ignoring the sudden tightness in her chest.

“I can see that. But can it restore any severe or permanent damage?”

Sage swallowed. Her panic was steadily rising under his scrutinizing gaze.

“What do you mean?”

Judicator just smiled as if to say: you know what I’m talking about.

.

.

.

.

“I cannot restore a body that has been blown to bits, nor can I restore limbs that have been cut off.” 

Not a lie. But not the complete truth either.

Clap. 

Clap. 

Clap.

“Very, very good! See what happens when you cooperate with us?” He grinned. Thick cuffs were promptly strapped onto her again as two guards pulled her back to her chair.

Relief flowed through. Sadly, it was short-lived.

“We have a lot of questions and answers that we want to answer. You will help us find them. Don’t bother trying to think of escaping us.”

What was happening to her?

“I have already done my part here. You will be escorted to another room, and Emissary will supervise you.” 

Emissary?

That name that sounded familiar to her.

“Oh by the way, she was Hawk’s old mentor. Have fun.” Judicator smirked, waving off the guards to take her away as he looked over the healed boy once more.

_ Wonderful. So many possibilities to explore. But first, I will have to take care of the rebels. _

  
  


***

Jett walked around the perimeters, unsure of what to do in her current situation. In any other case, she would have most likely gone to the training rink to practice her aim, or steal a laptop to browse the web from Kingdom’s storage rooms. 

Contrary to that, there wasn’t much to do on the island. She mostly wandered around, taking in the calm scenery of the VALORANT base. 

First, she arrived near what she remembered as the shooting range, where she saw Killjoy and Sova fixing the interface of the control panel. The two had an engaging conversation, paying no heed to the duelist behind them.

“No need to manually remove my eye, Killjoy. I will show you what I’ve recorded.”

Jett had heard some brief rumors within Kingdom that most of the machines there were invented by the young engineer. She was a prodigy within the ranks of the corporation, but had “betrayed them” by running away. The wind assassin has had her share of experiences in dealing with Killjoy’s tech, and had honestly felt some jealousy in knowing that despite her not being a radiant, she had accomplished a great deal of work in Kingdom.

Even so, her betrayal had caused a huge conundrum through the higher ups. Judicator had been seen walking back and forth, agitated beyond all belief. He had used this opportunity to scare the rest of the radiant trainees with threats of being “disciplined.” 

Hawk would have despised seeing the engineer upon laying her eyes on her, but seeing Killjoy the happiest she’d had ever been since Kingdom’s influence?

Jett started to have doubts. 

Jett moved on, and saw Skye next, along with Reyna and Viper, talking about Skye’s beasts and radianite capabilities. Jett watched the Aussie wave her hands, forming what looked like the hide of a wolf from wooden chips and radianite substance from thin air. 

Jett couldn’t help but find herself admiring from a distance. They found a radiant from australia? It was a wonder that VALORANT managed to find people from all across the globe. 

Has she been on the wrong side this entire time?

_ “You work for us, and only us. What we are doing, we are advancing the next generation of humanity.” _

_ “There will be those who try to screw us over, and those who want us to fail. You have the power to stop them.” _ _   
  
_

_ “Don’t talk back!” _

_ “All the things we do, it’s for the greater good.” _

Hawk remembered when she started to have doubts. She had known her mentors to be right in their advances. All the “punishments” were to stop her from slacking off, to become something great, a deadly assassin that the world would’ve feared.

Ironic that a monk would be able to provide a newer perspective to the murderer, even less that she stirred the doubt within her.

When the ladies swiveled their heads, she immediately dashed behind a wall, embarrassed.

_ They didn’t see me, did they? _

Jett slowly peeked around the corner, only to face the wooden head of the wolf that Skye had just summoned. She jumped, half expecting the wolf to try and chew her head off. However, it just sat down and snorted, shaking some stray leaves off from its hide.

“Lurking is a pervert’s sport, ya know?”

The Aussie chuckled, reaching out her hand despite what she had just said. Jett hesitated, before pushing herself up through her power. Skye stepped back, wearing a friendly smile.

“Pleased to meet you, Jett. How’re you feeling?” Skye asked. Jett didn’t know how to respond, only shuffling her feet uncomfortably. She glanced to the side, seeing Reyna and Viper in the vicinity.

Luckily for Jett, Skye knew how to read the atmosphere.

“Let me guess, you don’t like seeing them around?” Skye asked, gesturing at the other two ladies who were watching the Aussie and korean with piercing eyes. Jett swore she could feel the menacing aura from where she was standing.

“Uh..I..” Jett mumbled, eyes downcast, unsure of whether she really wanted to admit it. Skye let out a hearty laugh, before putting her hand gently on Jett’s shoulder.

“Ay listen. Those two may seem scary, but I promise ye, they ain’t so bad after a while. But while we are here, would you like to chat with me? We can leave this area if you want.”

Jett looked up at the Aussie. Her face was pale, with small freckles adorning the sides of her cheekbones. She had orange hair that was tied into a braid that rested on her shoulders. There was a green bandana that wrapped around her forehead, as well as green camo pants and gear. Her shoulders were very broad, looking like she would’ve been able to carry a radianite crate by herself if she tried.

“Uhm...sure.” Jett blurted, not wanting to seem suspicious in the eye of three women that could literally stomp the life out of her and crush her corpse into a human sized patty.

“That’s our cue to leave. See ya later fellas! I’ll take the hawk for a walk!” Skye called to the other two who nodded.

“Don’t bother trying to escape, Hawks. Skye once beat Breach in an arm-wrestling competition while drunk.” Reyna laughed, waving as she and Viper left.

Jett couldn’t help but let out a small snort, knowing that the swede would likely have taken a blow to his ego. After all, he was a hardened criminal that was seen at bars in the lower districts.

***

“So...um...what do you guys plan on doing with me?” Jett asked. She was confused as to why they had not taken action against her. Not much anyway.

All they really did was interrogate her, and that hadn’t lasted very long. 

Skye turned her head towards her, and let out a sigh.

“Frankly, it really depends on you. Unlike Kingdom, we actually want the best for people, and not lock them up whenever we want.” 

Skye felt pity for the girl. She didn’t want to come off as aggressive and hostile, but did not want to let her guard down either. After all, this was the same assassin that had caused them a lot of trouble in the past.

“I..I’m not sure what I want.” Jett said quietly. She kcked a pebble that laid on the road, being as careful with her words as possible.

“That’s understandable. Honestly, I’m surprised that Sage managed to convince the others to not kill you on sight.” SKye chuckled.

“Sage? Is she alright?” Jett asked abruptly. 

“She’s on a mission in Icebox. Why do you ask?” Skye responded, noticing the sudden posture of the duelist stiffening.

“I...I worry for her. Kingdom knows...a-and would do anything to get their hands on her.”

“Especially **_them._ ** ”

“Who’s ‘ _ them _ ’?” Skye asked, intruiged. The girl cared about their healer’s safety? 

Jett went quiet, her breathing slowly became erratic with each passing second.  _ Shit, shit! I can’t have a panic attack now!  _

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. Whoever these people are, they can’t get to you.” 

Skye’s voice snapped her back to reality. Jett took a deep breath.

“Judicator and Emissary. Those two were my old…’mentors’.” Jett spat, disgust harboring her voice at the names.

The names were familiar.

“Could you tell me more about them?” 

Jett looked up, seeing Skye’s expectant yet gentle gaze. In some ways, she was like Sage, yet drastically different. She exhaled.

“Could I tell you another time? I’m still trying to wrap my head around what’s going on.” Jett breathed, her voice stuttering. Why couldn’t she just speak properly?

_ Stupid. _

Now Skye’s going to probably beat her until she fesses up. After all, those arms look like they could carry a tru-

“Alright. That’s fair. You can tell us another time.”

Shocked, Jett looked up. Skye didn’t look irritated at all, nor did she even lay a finger on her.

Who were these people?

They soon walked near a landing pad, where they saw the captain tapping impatiently on his bracer. 

“Aye, captain Brimstone! Why the long face?” Skye called towards the old man. The american turned around, worry etching his features.

Brimstone. The man was a hardened military general that had worked in the authorized sector for authorities. It was rumored that he was the one who pulled Killjoy from Kingdom’s laboratories.

“I haven’t heard from them. Mission must’ve gone south.” The man’s voice was friendly, but not welcoming.

A cold chill washed over them.

“Let’s not assume the worst. Maybe they’re finishing up?” Skye questioned optimistically. Though, it was worth mentioning that she wasn’t confident in her words either.

While it was rare to not hear any communication from missions, it did happen from time to time. But Brimstone had a bad feeling about this one.

As if on cue, a jet materialized from the clouds, slowly descending onto the runway where the three people were.

“See? Nothing to worry about!” Skye said reassuringly as they all walked over to the runway. As the plane landed, Jett saw the sleek metal that allowed the best of aerodynamic flow to flow through. 

Did Killjoy design this jet too?

However, when the rear doors opened, they revealed only four agents. 

“Fellas, where is Sage?” Brimstone looked around, seeing each of their defeated expressions. Dread started to hang in the air.

Silence followed. Then, realization settled in.

“No..they took her, didn’t they?” Skye covered her mouth in one hand, and couldn’t help but look at Jett.

Frankly, all their gazes turned to Jett. But Jett could not register them.

All she could register was the high-pitched ringing in her ear. The sounds of her own breathing as thoughts poured through.

_ They took her? _

_ When did this happen? _

_ What’s going to happen to her? _

_ Will she be okay? _

_ Will they do what they did to me? To all the others? _

“Everyone calm down! We have to be careful about what we do next. All of you get some rest, then meet at the courtyard in an hour!” Brimstone commanded. They all nodded, before splitting off.

“As for you kid, we are going to need your help.”

Jett looked up at the old man, his gaze absolute.

**_Why should you help them? They’re literally your enemies?_** Hawk whispered. But it’s words could not cut through Jett’s iron resolve.

_ I’ll get her back. Kingdom will fall. _

Jett knew that this was what she needed to do.

“I understand.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So on a serious note, I think I’m going to just upload whenever I want.
> 
> I’ve always tried to maintain a weekly schedule, but I did notice a steady decrease in quality of my work. I want to be able to put out a chapter that is worth the wait, and I find that it hasn’t been possible lately.
> 
> Thank you for being patient with me. I honestly did not expect this many people to care about this fic.
> 
> From the bottom of my heart, thank you thank you so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. It means a lot. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah....I’m not sorry
> 
> Criticism is appreciated <3


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